Fano gas leak causes school evacuations

A significant gas leak occurred in Fano, Italy, on Monday morning after a private company accidentally ruptured a pipeline during construction work near the intersection of via Piave and via IV Novembre.

The leak created a large methane cloud that caused a strong odor to spread toward the historic center and viale Gramsci, prompting immediate precautionary measures. Approximately 800 students were affected; while pupils from the Corridoni elementary school were briefly evacuated and later allowed to return to class, students from the Nolfi linguistic high school and the Human Sciences high school were sent home as a precaution.

Emergency responders, including firefighters, local police, and Carabinieri, arrived quickly to secure the area. Luca Serfilippi, the Mayor of Fano, visited the site to oversee the situation. Nicola Nicolai, CEO of the gas distributor Aes, confirmed that the leak was contained by closing valves and that the area was made safe without interrupting the general gas supply to the population. No injuries were reported.