ITALY BRIDGE COLLAPSE KILLS 39
Govt blames disaster on poor maintenance of motorway
RESCUERS scoured mountains of rubble for victims of a bridge collapse in Genoa as the toll rose to 39 yesterday and Italy’s government blamed the company in charge of motorways for the disaster.
A vast span of the Morandi bridge caved in during a heavy rainstorm in the northern port city on Tuesday, sending about 35 cars and several trucks plunging 45m onto railway tracks below.
At least 39 people died and 15 injured, said Italy’s Civil Protection service.
Children aged 8, 12 and 13 were killed, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said yesterday, adding that more people were missing.
Three Chileans, who live in Italy, and three French nationals were killed, said their diplomatic services.
Hundreds of rescuers continued their search yesterday after scouring huge piles of concrete and twisted metal overnight by floodlight, hoping to find survivors.
The tragedy has focused anger on the structural problems that have dogged the decades-old bridge and the private sector firm, Autostrade per l’Italia, in charge of operating and maintaining the country’s motorways.
The government said it intended to revoke the company’s contract and hit it with a fine of €150 million (RM697 million).
Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, who arrived here yesterday morning, said the tragedy “could have been avoided”.
“Autostrade should have done maintenance but didn’t do it.”
Fire official Emanuele Gissi, who said three bodies were retrieved during the night, said two large cranes would be used in the rescue-and-recovery operation, which was expected to take days.
“All accessible spaces have been explored. Now we are moving the largest pieces of debris.
“We don’t know if there are survivors remaining, but it’s our job to search.”
More than 200m of the 1960s bridge crumpled without warning as traffic crossed the busy stretch of motorway on Tuesday, in the deadliest disaster of its kind in Europe since 2001.
The collapse came as the bridge was undergoing maintenance work while the Liguria region, where Genoa is situated, experienced torrential rainfall.
President Sergio Mattarella said a “catastrophe” had hit Genoa and the whole of Italy.
“Italians have the right to modern and efficient infrastructure that accompanies them safely through their everyday lives.”
Genoa’s leading public prosecutor, Francesco Cozzi, yesterday said the incident “definitely wasn’t bad luck”.
“We need to respond to just one question: why did this happen?”
As cars and trucks tumbled off the bridge, Afifi Idriss, 39, a Moroccan lorry driver, just managed to come to a halt in time.
“I saw a green lorry in front of me stop, then reverse, so I stopped too, locked the truck and ran.”
Some who plunged down with the bridge escaped unscathed.
The incident is the latest in a string of bridge collapses in Italy, a country prone to damage from seismic activity, but where infrastructure generally is showing the effects of a faltering economy.
Pope Francis sent condolences to victims, saying the tragedy has “caused desperation among the population”, at a service for the feast of the Assumption.
Genoa, home to half a million people, is between the sea and mountains of northwestern Italy.
Its rugged terrain means motorways that run through the city and surrounding area have long viaducts and tunnels.
The Morandi viaduct, completed in 1967, spans dozens of railway lines as well as an industrial zone. It has been riddled with structural problems since its construction, which has led to expensive maintenance and severe criticism from engineering experts.