'At least 20 people dead' after highway bridge collapses in Italy

[Vergennes]

Rome (CNN)At least 20 people died and 13 people were injured after a section of a highway bridge in northern Italy partially collapsed Tuesday, according to Angelo Borrelli, head of the Italian Civil Protection Agency.

Speaking to journalists, Borrelli said that around 30 vehicles and several heavy-duty trucks were on the affected section of the Morandi Bridge, which lies to the west of the port city of Genoa, when it gave way.

The number of casualties is expected to grow as the rubble is removed, Borrelli said, however it is unlikely that anyone was underneath the bridge at the time of the collapse, he added.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that several crushed vehicles are under the rubble with dead people inside, citing unnamed sources who did not provide a specific number of casualties. Some trucks ended up in the Polcevera river, Carabinieri police sources told ANSA.


Speaking to journalists, Borrelli said that around 30 vehicles and several heavy-duty trucks were on the affected section of the Morandi Bridge, which lies to the west of the port city of Genoa, when it gave way.

The number of casualties is expected to grow as the rubble is removed, Borrelli said, however it is unlikely that anyone was underneath the bridge at the time of the collapse, he added.

Italian news agency ANSA reported that several crushed vehicles are under the rubble with dead people inside, citing unnamed sources who did not provide a specific number of casualties. Some trucks ended up in the Polcevera river, Carabinieri police sources told ANSA.
Collapsed Morandi Bridge

In a separate report, citing sources in the fire and rescue services, ANSA said that "tens of people" were among the victims and that two people had been pulled out of vehicles alive.
Luca Cari, spokesman for the fire service, told Italian news agency Rai that rescuers were searching for people underneath the rubble as if this were an earthquake.

According to Rai, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will travel to Genoa later Tuesday.

The A10 is a major highway for residents and tourists in Genoa, connecting the city with the nearby airport, and a key route along the Mediterranean, linking the Italian coast with French coastal cities to the west.

Police said that a violent storm was the cause of the collapse. An automated report from the weather station at the nearby Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport around the time of the incident recorded thunderstorms with winds gusting to 57 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour).

Shortly after the collapse, rescue vehicles were seen racing to the site. Several hours later, around 200 firefighters were still working at the scene, according to the Italian fire service.
Giorgio Larosa posted a video on Instagram showing rescuers working in heavy rain to free people from crushed vehicles in a grassy area below the bridge.

"The debris from the collapsed (bridge) fell 20 meters from my car," eyewitness Davide Ricci told local newspaper Il Secolo XIX. He said he saw the bridge give way as he drove south along the river road nearby. "The central pylon crumbled, then the rest came down," he said.

The bridge, also known as the Polcevera Viaduct, was designed by Italian civil engineer Riccardo Morandi and completed in 1968.

Maintenance works were underway to consolidate parts of the bridge, according to motorway operator Autostrade. A bridge crane had been installed to allow those works to be carried out, the operator said in a statement.

"The works and the status of the viaduct were subject to constant observation and supervision," the statement said. "The causes for the collapse will be the object of an in-depth analysis a soon as it will be possible to safely access the site."

Italy's Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli tweeted, "I am followingwith the utmost apprehension what has happened to #Genoa and which looms as an immense tragedy. We are in close contact with Autostrade and we are going to the site with the deputy Minister Rixi. My total closeness at this time to the city."

In a tweet, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini thanked the rescue workers at the scene and said, "we are following the situation minute by minute."

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/14/europe/italy-genoa-bridge-collapse-intl/index.html

RIP.

 

[khansaheeb]

Sad and shocking, our heart felt condolence should be passed on to the Italian people and an offer of help should be sent.

 

[YeBeWarned]

RIP for departed souls .. unfortunate accident

 

[Cthulhu]

RIP.

 

[hussain0216]

Crappy italian engineering?

 

[zectech]

Crappy italian engineering?

That or art students from Jaffa.

 

[Sugarcane]

Rest in peace

 

[Kambojaric]

RIP. Always terrible to read news like this.

 

[xenon54 out]

I remember watching a documentary on how millions of EU fundings for Italian highways got ''lost'' in the last decades, like a couple kilometer highway which cost 400 million and took 20 years to build, the decumentary was explaining mafias role in construction sector, i wont be surprised the the money intended for maintainance just disappeared or even not the required quality material used during building.

Italy is the corruptest of the ''old'' Eu members after all even surpassing some eastern european countries.

 

[Vergennes]

I remember watching a documentary on how millions of EU fundings for Italian highways got ''lost'' in the last decades, like a couple kilometer highway which cost 400 million and took 20 years to build, the decumentary was explaining mafias role in construction sector, i wont be surprised the the money intended for maintainance just disappeared or even not the required quality material used during building.

Italy is the corruptest of the ''old'' Eu members after all even surpassing some eastern european countries.

From what I've read,the Italian government is already blaming "budget constraints imposed by Brussel" if so many infrastructures are in such a bad state... is that the only reason really ?

 

[xenon54 out]

From what I've read,the Italian government is already blaming "budget constraints imposed by Brussel" if so many infrastructures are in such a bad state... is that the only reason really ?

EU even demanded to money that has been invested in that particular project mentioned above back once they found out there was no highway after decades.

 

[Cell_DbZ]

Brussels to BLAME? Italy’s Salvini lashes out at the EU after Genoa bridge collapse

ITALY’S interior minister Matteo Salvini argued European budget constraints may have prevented local authorities from repairing the Genoa bridge that collapsed yesterday, killing at least 37 people.

blob:https://www.express.co.uk/9fcda86a-0ff2-4b79-a471-b88d711f50fa

The eurosceptic leader of right-wing Lega party lashed out at Brussels just hours after the tragedy.

Speaking to reporters, he said: “If external constraints prevent us from spending to have safe roads and schools, then it really calls into question whether it makes sense to follow these rules.

“There can be no trade-off between fiscal rules and the safety of Italians.”

But while economic constraints are the main cause of the collapse, Mr Salvini’s allegations against the EU seem to have little foundation.

Brussels has in place a £280.74billion (€315bn) programme designed to improve and renew infrastructure, and the EU issues annual recommendations to national governments about how they could best spend the money.

The advice for 2018 were released after the Italian election, which took place on March 4, and specifically called on the new government to “foster research, innovation, digital skills and infrastructure through better-targeted investment”.

The Five Star Movement (M5S), currently in a coalition government with Mr Salvini’s party, is now under scrutiny for including the bridge refurbishment project on a list of works at risk of being scrapped “if the costs outweigh the benefits”.

Antonio Occhiuzzi, director of the technology institute of construction at the National Council of Research, said the bridge collapsed because the mainstays which supported it were based on technology already proven to be short-lived on other buildings in the country.

Genoa bridge collapse: Matteo Salvini blasted the EU budget after the tragedy (Image: GETTY/EPA)


But their replacement would have cost £31.91million (€35m), a sum that authorities deemed not necessary to spend just a couple of years ago, according to Italian daily Repubblica.

Early speculation from other experts also argued the collapse of Morandi bridge, built in 1967 and named after the engineer who designed it, was due to a structural failure.

Antonio Brencich, a professor specialising in reinforced concrete construction at the University of Genoa, said: “Morandi bridge was constantly under maintenance.

“It was affected by severe problems of corrosion linked to the technology that Mr Morandi himself patented and it revealed to be a failure.”

Genoa bridge collapse: Rescuers are still working to pull out people from the rubble (Image: EPA)

Mr Brencich had already raised the alarm over the danger posed by the bridge in 2016, calling its span "a failure of engineering”.

He added: "But there will be a time when the cost of maintenance will be higher than a replacement."

Other experts added the collapse may have been triggered by the torrential rain that hit Italy after months of heatwave.

Associate professor in structural mechanics at the University of Southampton in the UK, Mehdi Kashani, argued the combination of maintenance issues and pressure from “dynamic loads”, including traffic and wind, could have resulted in "fatigue damage in bridge components".

Genoa bridge collapse: The collapse was probably due to a structural failure, experts said (Image: EPA)


The responsibility for maintenance of the Morandi bridge was shared among the region, local authorities, and the state-owned highway company Anas.

Earlier today, the transport ministry called for the resignation of the top management of Anas.

And yesterday, after describing the collapse as an “immense tragedy” Mr Toninelli said: We will verify that [maintenance checks] have been done.

“If there is even just one responsible, he must pay.”

Rescuers are still working to pull out people from the rubble.

At least 37 people died, including three children, and dozens more were injured during the tragedy.



https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...alvini-victims-eu-italy-european-union-budget

From what I've read,the Italian government is already blaming "budget constraints imposed by Brussel" if so many infrastructures are in such a bad state... is that the only reason really ?

EU even demanded to money that has been invested in that particular project mentioned above back once they found out there was no highway after decades.

Perhaps we should ask Silvio what happened with the money

 

[Vergennes]

@Cell_DbZ @xenon54

Many might not know that over the last five years,dozens of Italian bridges have collapsed. There are many reasons for this.

In Italy the road network is ageing and neglected. The government has cut investments neglecting the maintenance of the nearly 27K kilometers of the Italian road network.

In Italy, freight traffic mainly involves roads, bridges and viaducts. The roads wear out faster and therefore require regular maintenance.

Between 2007 and 2013, the Italian Motorway Management Agency spent only 180 million euros a year for maintenance,modernization and security of the network while it was recommended to invest €2,5 billion euros each years. Investments are down despite the huge revenues it earns,€7 billion euros in 2017.

Last year the Italian government seemed to aknowledge efforts had to be made. It decided to boost investments in roads infrastructures providing some €12,5 billion euros over five years,including €5,6 billion euros for roads and highways.

Given Italy's reputation for "transparency" and corruption,mafia networks and only God knows what else,you might already ask where this money will really land,who will benefit from these funds etc.

 

[Kambojaric]

Oh dear, politicians are actually using this incident for their own agendas. Not cool!

 

[ranawat]

How come such a huge bridge came down simultaneously in ma y spans