The incident occurred at the Ritom hydroelectric power plant in the small village of Piotta shortly after 9:30 am (0730 GMT), police in the Italian-speaking Ticino region said in a statement, adding that emergency services had been alerted to “a fire breaking out inside the building”.
“According to a preliminary reconstruction, and for reasons yet to be determined… an explosion occurred involving two workers,” the statement said.
“Both subsequently died from the severe injuries sustained.”
The two men were a 55-year-old Swiss national and a colleague who was still being formally identified, police said.
The building had also suffered “extensive damage”, their statement said, adding that the exact circumstances and cause of the accident were under investigation.
