5 dead of suspected gas leak in Italian nursing home

Five elderly residents of a nursing home near Rome have died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning and another five residents and two workers have been hospitalised in serious condition, Italian media reported Saturday.

Firefighters confirmed the deadly incident in the town of Lanuvio, with the hypothesis of a gas leak.

A worker in the home found the residents and workers unconscious early Saturday, the news agency ANSA reported. All residents and employees of the home had been tested this week for COVID-19 after one worker tested positive, with nine residents and three staff testing positive. The positive residents had been scheduled to be transferred to a specialized COVID facility on Saturday.