Sicilian musician found dead, woman critically injured in Perugia hotel carbon monoxide leak

The incident

A 54- or 55-year-old Sicilian musician died and a woman of East Asian origin was left in critical condition after what investigators suspect was carbon monoxide poisoning in a hotel room in the centre of Perugia. The pair were among the members of a classical music orchestra of about forty elements scheduled to perform at the Sala dei Notari, inside the medieval Palazzo dei Priori, as part of the Music Fest on the evening of Friday, 31 July.

Discovery and rescue

Alarm was raised when the two did not arrive for the concert. Other members of the orchestra, who were staying in the same hotel, alerted the reception, which tried repeatedly to call the room without an answer. The fire brigade was called to force the door. Inside, the man was already dead and the woman unconscious but still alive, in a state described as grave from the outset. She was taken during the night to the hyperbaric centre at Ravenna hospital.

Initially media reports described the two as companions, but later police sources clarified they were friends sharing the room, not a romantic couple. The hotel was evacuated as a safety precaution, and other guests, including many orchestra colleagues, were transferred to other accommodation in the city.

The investigation

Carabinieri from the local company arrived alongside firefighters and scientific investigations personnel. The room is located near a boiler room, and one early hypothesis is that the lethal gas seeped from there. However, firefighters' measurements did not immediately detect high levels of carbon monoxide in the air. A judicial autopsy is expected to confirm the cause of death.

Substitute prosecutor Anna Maria Greco is coordinating the investigation. The probe is focusing on the possibility of an accidental gas leak, and no foul play is suspected.