The regional fire chief said that an explosion occurred today, Tuesday, at a hydroelectric power station in northern Italy, killing at least three workers and seriously injuring five others. At least four other people are still missing.

The explosion occurred at a depth between 30 and 60 meters (between 100 and 200 feet) below the water level at the Bergi plant in the Apennine Mountains south of Bologna. Regional fire chief Francesco Notaro told SKY TG24 that the explosion caused two levels of the underground structure to collapse, sparked a fire, and caused flooding.

Bologna governor Attilio Visconti told Sky Network that the explosion happened during maintenance work on the electrical system, causing one of the turbines to fail.

Officials said that search efforts continue carefully due to the risk of additional collapses on the seventh and eighth underground levels, while water flooded the ninth level. Divers were assisting in the search.

A video provided by firefighters showed smoke rising from underground at the power plant located on the lakeshore of the Enel energy company.

Lake Suviana was artificially formed by building a dam from 1928 to 1932 and is located in a regional park at an altitude of 500 meters (1640 feet) about 70 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Bologna. Enel Green Power said in a statement that no damage occurred to the dam.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she is following the "horrific" news and expressed her solidarity with the victims and their families.