Caustic gas escapes – five holidaymakers injured

Guests at the Hotel Barberini in Rome had to be evacuated because of gases from the ventilation. Five people were hospitalized.

Rome – The Barberini Hotel in the historic center of Rome actually offers luxurious accommodation for tourists from all over the world. However, it had to be evacuated this morning (April 23, 2024). Toxic chlorine gases were leaking out of the hotel. 200 people had to be evacuated from a hotel in Rimbach.

Chlorine fumes from the wellness area rose into the ventilation system

The fumes came from the technical room of the hotel's wellness area. A tourist reports to LaPressethat when chlorine was poured into the pool, vapors had spread through the ventilation slots. How exactly the incident occurred is not yet clear.

The police and fire department evacuated the hotel guests and employees. Eight people came into contact with the gases, three of whom refused medical attention. Five hotel employees were taken to hospital. Among them was the man who had been working at the pool. One person is in critical condition. The square in front of the hotel was closed, like la Republica reported. Recently, several children were taken to hospital after a chlorine gas leak in Bergneustadt.

“We couldn’t breathe”: eyewitnesses in the hotel report

Some of the hotel's visitors were woken from their sleep in the morning. “Around 9:30 a.m. the phone rang and at the same time there was a knock on the door. A man wearing a gas mask asked us to leave the room immediately. When we opened the door, we were met with chlorine fumes,” a hotel guest from America reported LaPresse. “We tried to wait for the elevator but we couldn't breathe so we went down the stairs and out as quickly as we could. There were a lot of people coughing, someone vomited because of the fumes,” it said.

“We were still in our pajamas,” reports another victim. She describes the situation: “We didn’t have time to take anything. My husband has his medication in his room but he couldn't go in to get it. We don't know how soon we can come back, I think they are busy securing the hotel. I think it will take a while because the smell was really strong.”

Hotel manager comments – cause unknown

Leonardo Marinelli, the hotel's director, commented to NovaNews: “There were around 60 guests in the complex – but everyone is fine.” Dozens of guests also had to be evacuated after a fire in a Bavarian hotel. Marinelli confirmed suspicions that the problem occurred in the wellness area, which was renovated in 2021. What happened “still needs to be clarified,” said the director. (No)