By Victor Kanayo
Gunshots have reportedly killed one man with seven people injured overnight in Naples, as the southern Italian city went into wild celebration after Napoli knicked the Serie A title, 33 years after.
Already, a local government official has confirmed the development on Friday May 5, 2023.
Partying began late on Thursday after the Napoli team won its first Serie A championship title in 33 years with a 1-1 away draw at Udinese.
Hours later, a man died from gunshot wounds, but the incident had “nothing to do with the celebrations”, Naples Prefect Claudio Palomba told RAI public radio.
Friends and relatives of the victim vandalised the emergency room where he had been rushed to, ANSA and other Italian news agencies said.
As later reported by Reuters, Naples health authorities said 203 people accessed emergency services overnight, including 22 with “red-level” critical injuries and 75 with “yellow-level” serious but not life-threatening conditions.
Health service spokesperson Anna Tagliaferri said the figure was not unusually high, with any of Naples’ larger hospitals routinely handling as many as 200 emergency room cases on a “normal” day.
Palomba has hinted that Police are investigating the incident.
Further report revealed the city centre was pedestrianised while fireworks and firecrackers were banned, but that did not stop Neapolitans celebrating with such items throughout the night.
