Two people died when a balcony of a residential block collapsed in the Naples district of Scampia, ANSA reported.
The prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, announced that the victims were a 29-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman. 13 people, including seven children, were injured in the incident.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the collapse. 800 residents, including 300 children, were evacuated from the building.
Several other apartment buildings similar to the one whose balcony collapsed have already been demolished in the neighborhood because of their depreciation, putting residents at risk. Scampia is also known as a crime-ridden area linked to the Camorra mafia.
In April, the municipal administration announced funding of around 18 million euros for repair work on the building, whose balcony collapsed.
The buildings in the neighborhood in Scampia have a specific look - they are stepped and the Italians liken them to triangular sails. They also appear in the hit TV series about “Gomorr”. It's based on Roberto Saviano's book of the same name, in which the mob-fighting writer receives death threats that force him into a police protection program.