Scots tourist in hospital after Rome holiday explosion

A Scottish vacationer has been significantly injured in a suspected fuel explosion that destroyed his vacation dwelling in Rome.

Grant Paterson, 54, was rescued from the rubble of a three-storey constructing within the Monteverde space of the Italian capital on Saturday morning.

Mr Paterson, from East Kilbride in Lanarkshire, is known to be receiving remedy for extreme burns at Rome’s Sant’Eugenio hospital.

Roberto Gualtieri, the Mayor of Rome, visited the scene and has ordered an investigation into the explosion.

It’s understood that Mr Paterson, who works for Scottish ferry operator CalMac, arrived in Rome final week on a solo journey.

He was staying within the house with views over the town’s Villa Pamphili park.

In a submit on social media he wrote: “Lodging is gorgeous. This must be a superb week.”

In response to Italian information web site Roma Right this moment, Mr Paterson was pulled out of the ruins acutely aware and is assumed to have suffered extreme burns to 75% of his physique.

Duncan Mackison, CEO of CalMac, stated: “We had been shocked and saddened to listen to that our colleague, Grant, has been critically injured on vacation.

“We’ve got reached out to supply our help to Grant’s household, and our ideas are with Grant and his household at this troublesome time.”

The UK overseas workplace stated it was “involved with the native authorities” and Mr Paterson’s kinfolk had been being supported.

Talking on the scene of the explosion, Mayor Gualtieri instructed reporters: “We do not know his actual situation, however he suffered burns, and this additionally means that it was an explosion attributable to fuel, which additionally causes flames.

“It was a really loud explosion, a constructing collapsed and the wall of Villa Pamphili was additionally broken.”

He added that investigations had been “beneath manner concerning the legality of the B&B”.

A part of the destroyed property was the house of high-profile Italian creator Roberto Saviano till very just lately.

In an Instagram Tales submit responding to individuals who had been involved for his security, he stated had not been residing on the the home on By way of Vitellia “for days” and added that he hoped “the injured particular person recovers quickly”.

He stated: “It is heartbreaking to see in ruins a spot the place I cherished to reside.”