Scots tourist in hospital after Rome holiday explosion

Grant Paterson is understood to be in hospital being treated for severe burns

Facebook Grant Paterson, who has balding shaved hair and is wearing a dark blue shirt with a navy blue woollen coat, stands at the Trevi Fountain in Rome. — Grant Paterson is understood to be in hospital being treated for severe burns

A Scottish tourist has been seriously injured in a suspected gas explosion that destroyed his holiday home in Rome.

Grant Paterson, 54, was rescued on Saturday morning from the rubble of a three-storey building in the Monteverde area of the Italian capital.

Mr Paterson, from East Kilbride in Lanarkshire, is understood to be receiving treatment for severe burns at Rome’s Sant’Eugenio hospital.

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

The three-storey holiday home was destroyed in the explosion

Polizia Roma Capitale Police and fire officers look at the remains of the apartment building after the explosion. — The three-storey holiday home was destroyed in the explosion

It is understood that Mr Paterson, who works for Scottish ferry operator CalMac, arrived in Rome last week on a solo trip.

He was staying in the apartment with views over the city’s Villa Pamphili park.

In a post on social media he wrote: “Accommodation is beautiful. This should be a good week.”

According to Italian news site Roma Today, Mr Paterson was pulled out of the ruins conscious and is thought to have suffered severe burns to 75% of his body.

Mayor Gualtieri told reporters: “We don’t know his exact condition, but he suffered burns, and this also suggests that it was an explosion caused by gas, which also causes flames.

“It was a very loud explosion, a building collapsed and the wall of Villa Pamphili was also damaged.”

The UK foreign office said it was “in contact with the local authorities” and Mr Paterson’s relatives were being supported.

Source link