The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m. local time and sent a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire that was visible from across the city.

Claudio Ercoli, 67, is the first victim of the explosion at the gas station on Via dei Gordiani in the Prenestino district. The man, who was hospitalized at Sant'Eugenio Hospital in Rome, was

Dozens of people were injured, including 10 police officers and a firefighter, officials said. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear.