Four people stabbed, a gun discovered during the brawl: Carabinieri are investigating.

A night of madness in Prato: on August 22nd, shortly before 11 p.m., at least four people ended up in the hospital following a violent brawl involving stabbings and clubs, during which a gun was reportedly produced. The four men are believed to be in their early thirties, two of North African origin and two of Pakistani origin.

During the fight, all four were reportedly injured to varying degrees. According to what some residents told emergency responders, several gunshots were also fired (probably in the air). According to an initial version of events, the incident arose from an argument on Via Pierluigi da Palestrina between two North Africans and a Pakistani citizen.

A confrontation, for unclear reasons, gradually became increasingly tense and quickly moved to Via Borgioli, which reportedly escalated into a knife fight in which at least two other people had arrived in the meantime: Pakistanis on one side, North Africans on the other. As reported, shots were also fired, and a gun, according to leaks (most likely a blank gun, the same one reported on WeChat by some Chinese users), was found next to one of the injured men, in a pool of blood. The brawl ended with the arrival of law enforcement (in the meantime alerted by several witnesses), when some of the combatants were lying on the ground, helpless.

All the foreign nationals in question were transported to Santo Stefano Hospital for medical checks, and two of them, who suffered serious stab wounds, were reportedly transferred to Careggi Hospital and are in a critical condition. A third man was reportedly discharged within hours of his admission to the emergency room, and the fourth, who suffered minor injuries, voluntarily left the hospital.

One of them reportedly had a finger amputated, while another underwent surgery. The Carabinieri had arrived on the scene in the meantime, and will be tasked with reconstructing the events in detail. Investigators are considering multiple hypotheses regarding the motive for the attack: according to an initial version, it could have been retaliation for the stabbing of the young Pakistani man on Via Strozzi a few weeks ago.

However, it hasn't been ruled out that the violent fight may have occurred over control of the area, and that the participants in the brawl belonged to rival factions. In any case, the next few hours will provide further clues.