Woman killed, actor injured in gas leak blast in northern Italy

Italian actor Gabriel Garko was injured in a gas leak explosion which killed an elderly woman in Liguria, a region of northwestern Italy, on Monday, local media said.

The explosion occurred in the morning at the upper floor of a two-storey villa that was hosting the famous actor in the city of Sanremo, according to Rai state television.

Part of the 20-year-old building collapsed and a 77-year-old woman who was living at the upper floor was found dead under debris later in the day, Rai said.

Garko, who was staying at the first floor, was slightly injured and immediately rushed to hospital, according to local newspaper Il Secolo XIX, which showed a picture of him sitting in an ambulance.

The 43-year-old actor reportedly suffered "mild traumatic brain injury with bruises" and was in a state of shock, the newspaper added.

Garko was staying at this villa that he had rented from the son of the victim to prepare to help present the Sanremo Song Festival, the most popular song festival in Italy, which will kick off next week in the so-called "City of flowers."

The blast was reportedly caused by a gas leak. Investigators were at work to ascertain possible responsibilities.

A faulty burner in the kitchen may have triggered the explosion when the elderly woman switched it on, according to ANSA news agency sources.

A similar accident hit the same region last month when five people were killed and one seriously injured as a building collapsed following a big blast caused by a gas leak in a small town of Liguria. Endit