Italy was in shock on Saturday after a 16-year-old girl died and five other teens were gravely injured in a bomb blast at a school, as investigators cast doubt on possible involvement by the mafia. There were scenes of chaos and carnage when the powerful blast went off at the entrance of the building just as students were arriving for morning classes at the vocational high school in Brindisi in mafia-heavy southern Italy.
The victim was identified as Melissa Bassi, who later died of her injuries in hospital, Fabiano Amati, a local representative of the civil protection agency, told news channel Sky TG24. The explosive was composed of three gas canisters with a timer device hidden in a container next to a wall just outside the school, Italian media reported. The blast went off at around 7:45 am (0545 GMT). Most Italian schoolchildren and students attend classes on Saturday. The Vatican called it a "an absolutely horrific and vile act."