A car bomb exploded outside the famed Uffizi Gallery early Thursday, killing at least six people and causing millions of dollars in damage to one of the world's best-known art collections. At least 30 people were injured.
The blast occurred just after 1 a.m. while many people were still strolling through the historic center of the city on a warm night.Officials in Florence said they had received no threats. The Italian news agency ANSA reported it received a telephone call about 11 hours after the bombing claiming responsibility in the name of a right-wing group called Armed Phalange. Police gave the call little credence.
The explosion was initially attributed to leaking natural gas, but prosecutor Piero Luigi Vigna later announced that explosives were the cause.
Rescue efforts were hampered by hundreds of onlookers who arrived at almost the same time as firefighters and police. Six bodies were unearthed from the rubble, and more people were feared buried.
Officials tried to assess the damage to major works of art at the Uffizi, which is one of the world's great museums and contains works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli.Among the paintings destroyed were Gherardo Delle Notti's "Birth of Christ" and Bartolomeo Manfredi's "Buonaventura" and "Ciclo Viti." More than 20 paintings and statues were damaged.
"Some lost arms, some lost legs," said Uffizi director Anna Maria Petrioli Tofani, referring to the statues. She said all could be repaired.
She said damages amounted to millions of dollars and the museum would probably be closed for months, possibily hurting tourism during the height of the travel season.
Tensions are running high in Italy because of a 15-month-long scandal implicating the country's political and financial elite in widespread corruption and alleging links between politicians and organized crime.
Government officials have warned that the Mafia, lately under severe attack, or other criminal groups might try to take advantage of the political uncertainty.
Civil defense director Elveno Pastorelli gave few details about the car bomb. But he said earlier that he had found similarities to a May 14 car bombing in Rome that injured 23 people. Police believe that blast may have been the work of the Mafia, although they have no firm evidence.
The explosion Thursday ripped apart the four-story palace that housed the archives of the cultural association Accademia Dei Georgo-fili and numerous apartments.
Some of the most valuable pieces of art were saved by bulletproof glass that had been installed to protect the art from vandals, officials said.
Most Italians consider their cultural heritage sacrosanct.
(Additional information)
Artworks damaged
A partial list of artworks destroyed or damaged in the bombing near Uffizi Gallery.
Paintings destroyed: Gherardo Delle Notti, "Birth of Christ." Bartolomeo Manfredi, "Buonaventura" and "Ciclo Viti."
Paintings damaged: About 20 works damaged, including Sebastiano Del Piombo, "Death of Adonis," and paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck and other artists.
Statues damaged: Group of statues known as "Niobe and her Children," a Roman copy of the Greek original. Legs blown off statue of Niobe. Hands blown off another Roman statue.