Rescuers inspect the scene after the collapse of the Giaccherino Monastery Photo: TG24
Guests at a lavish Italian-American wedding at a 15th-century Tuscan monastery crashed through the vaulted ceilings as they danced the night away.
About 40 revelers fell about 13 feet when an almost perfectly round hole opened up beneath them, landing in rubble, dust and plaster beneath a grandiose Last Supper mural.
Two newlyweds, Paolo Mugnaini and Valeria Ibarra, both 26, ended the night sitting side by side in hospital beds, recovering from a fall.
They were surrounded. other guests, all of whom were hospitalized. All survived, although six reported serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
“We felt like we were being sucked in while we were dancing. It was panic. Then there was only dust and rubble, we saw nothing. Next to me was a friend of mine who had lost consciousness and was bleeding heavily,” Mr. Mugnaini told doctors, according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
Mr. Mugnaini, a teacher from Florence, and Mr. Ms. Ibarra, a student from Houston, Texas, was discharged overnight.
Many wedding guests were hospitalized. Photo: www.ranews.it < p>The incident occurred around 19:00 local time. Towards the end of the party, while the rest of the guests were dancing, a circular hole about 16 feet in diameter opened under their feet, causing them to fall from a height.
Carabinieri police lieutenant colonel Ruben Ruggeri said: “Fortunately, there was no one down there.” it was not because a lot of very heavy material fell along with the people.”
He added that the cause of the incident is still unknown and that the police, in coordination with the local prosecutor’s office, have launched an investigation, which will include statements from party guests.
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“It was an apocalyptic scene. , shock. A thick cloud of smoke came out from under the floor and enveloped us amid cries of pain and help,” an unnamed guest told local publication Reportpistoia.
The witness also said that moments before the collapse, the floor trembled beneath the floor. dancing people.
According to them, the guests felt something like an earthquake, and many of them fell into the hole.
Italian police and firefighters rushed to the scene to coordinate rescue efforts, and nearby hospitals were alerted immediately after the incident, said Eugenio Giani, Tuscany's president.
“It could have been a terrible tragedy. I sincerely thank all the rescuers and medical staff,” said Mr. Jani.
Guests leave the monastery after ceiling collapse Photo: www.ranews.it
The wedding party took place at the Convento di Giaccherino, an ancient monastery in the Tuscan countryside near Pistoia.
Many of the 200 or so guests had already left, and those who remained were mostly young friends of the couple. Mr. Ruggeri said.
The management of the Convento monastery, which was administratively arrested by the police, could not be reached for comment.
Construction of the Giaccherino monastery, located in the countryside northwest of Florence, began in the early 15th century and was financed by Gabriello Panciatici, a wealthy banker from Pistoia who was involved in moneylending.
“ In his old age he tried to earn his place in heaven through donations and charitable activities,” according to the monastery’s website.
Initially it included a small church, a refectory, two monasteries, and a kitchen. and the infirmary. Franciscan monks lived here in isolation.
In subsequent centuries, it was expanded with new halls, rooms and a library.
Fifteen years ago, renovation work began, turning it into a monastery. a venue for private events such as weddings and other events, as well as company meetings. It opened only a few years ago.
When news of the incident began to spread, relatives and friends of the guests rushed to the monastery to find out if their loved ones were among the victims.
They had to go through a tortuous down the lane leading to the monastery as Italian authorities blocked the road to allow ambulances to pass and transport the wounded to nearby hospitals.
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