PRATO, Italy (Reuters) – Italian prosecutors said on Wednesday they had opened an investigation into energy company Eni and seven of its employees following an explosion at a fuel depot near Florence in December that killed five people.
The prosecutors in the Tuscan city of Prato said in a statement they suspected manslaughter and other crimes had been committed.
The explosion was caused by Eni allowing maintenance work to be carried out at the same time as fuel loading operations, in order to increase productivity at the site and save money, they said.
They estimated that Eni would have lost 255,000 euros if the fuel loading had been halted on the day of the accident, which they said was foreseeable and avoidable.
Eni said it would fully cooperate with the judicial authorities.
The energy group confirmed its commitment to compensating the relatives of the victims and people who suffered economic harm in the area near the depot.
Under Italian law, a company can be held liable for some offences committed by its staff.
Two employees of another firm who were working at the site when the accident happened were also put under investigation.
(Reporting by Silvia Ognibene, writing by Gavin Jones and Francesca Landini, editing by Mark Potter)
