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COLLAPSE

Genoa bridge collapse: what we know

As many as 30 people were killed on Tuesday when a giant motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa in northwestern Italy. Here's what we know about the bridge, the collapse and the response:

Published: 14 August 2018 19:15 CEST
Genoa bridge collapse: what we know
Rescuers and security forces watch as a recovered body in evacuated at the site where the Morandi motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa on August 14, 2018. Valery HACHE / AFP

The bridge

The Morandi viaduct, less than five kilometres (three miles) to the west of Genoa's old port, was built in the 1960s and completed in 1967.

The flyover of the A10 motorway, named after the architect who designed it, spanned railway lines, buildings and the Polcevera stream around 45 metres (over 140 feet) below.

Genoa's rugged terrain means that motorways that run through the city and the surrounding area are characterised by bridges and tunnels.

The collapse

A section of around 200 metres (650 feet) broke away at around noon (1000 GMT).

Autostrade, a highway operator controlled by Atlantia which runs much of Italy's motorway network, said it had been carrying out maintenance work on the bridge.

Regional weather services had issued a storm warning for the morning of the collapse and the national police force said on Twitter the disaster happened amid a “violent cloudburst”.

The victims

There were varying death tolls, with interior minister Salvini saying “around 30 people” had died. 

A spokesman for the Civil Protection service meanwhile told reporters that 20 people were confirmed to have died, and 16 others wounded, including 10 seriously.

But officials warned the scale of the disaster was such that the toll was likely to rise. 

The emergency response

Italy's national fire service said on Twitter that 200 of its emergency workers were involved in the rescue effort.

TV images showed rescue workers looking for other people under the rubble over six hours after the bridge crumbled.

The national police force told road users to avoid highways and the neighbouring areas.

The reaction

Salvini said that he would investigate and find out who was responsible for the collapse, because “it's not possible that in 2018 you can work and die in these conditions”.

France's President Emmanuel Macron said the country was ready to “offer all necessary support”.

The spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her “thoughts like those of so many Germans, are with the victims and their families”.

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “I express my deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have died and to the Italian people.”

Shares in Atlantia plunged on the Milan stock exchange after the collapse.

TOURISM

First cruise ship sets sail from Italy since coronavirus shutdown

The first major cruise ship to resume tours of the Mediterranean since the coronavirus pandemic hit Europe set sail from the Italian city of Genoa on Sunday, as the industry tries to regain ground after a bruising hiatus.

Published: 16 August 2020 15:34 CEST
Updated: 16 August 2020 17:57 CEST
First cruise ship sets sail from Italy since coronavirus shutdown
A photographer watches the MSC Grandiosa depart on Sunday August 16th, 2020, after more than six months of inactivity. Photo: AFP

The departure of the MSC Grandiosa from the northwestern port city at 1930 local time represents a high-stakes test for the global sector in the key Mediterranean market and beyond.

The international cruise industry has been battered not only by the ongoing health crisis which in March forced the worldwide grounding of its ships, but accusations of a botched handling of the epidemic in its early stages.

Cruise lines are hoping that new, tighter protocols will allow them to control the still-lingering threat of coronavirus aboard its ships while still offering travellers a cruise experience that does not disappoint.

Arriving passengers preparing to check in before taking a required coronavirus blood test inside the terminal told AFP they were not concerned about the virus. Some said they believed cruises were now safer than other vacation options.

“I couldn't miss the first cruise after Covid,” cruise blogger Rosalba Scarrone, 64, told AFP.

READ ALSO: Venice anti-cruise ship activists cheer temporary victory as liners pull out

“I've taken 87 cruises, can you imagine how much I've suffered not setting off from February until now?”

The Grandiosa is part of the fleet of privately-owned MSC Cruises, founded in Naples but now based in Geneva. The ship will travel to the ports of Civitavecchia near Rome, Naples, Palermo and Valletta, Malta during the seven-day cruise.

Competitor Costa Cruises, owned by Carnival, has opted to delay the restart of its Mediterranean cruises until September, with departures from Trieste and Genoa for Italian-only clients. The company said the measure was designed to “guarantee the maximum security for guests, crew and local communities.”

Fewer passengers

Much is riding on the decision to restart cruises. Italy represents the bulk of Europe's cruise industry, reaping 14.5 billion euros of revenue per year and supporting nearly 53,000 jobs, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

The group estimated a potential economic loss from suspended cruises throughout Europe could amount to about 25.5 billion euros.

“The voyage … represents a tangible sign of comeback for one of the fundamental economic industries of our city,” said Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci.

Over 2 million cruise passengers departed from the city last year.

Last week, Italy's government, which is striving to revive the country's moribund economy after a more than two-month lockdown, gave cruise operators the green light to begin operating again as of August 15. 

MSC authorities said approximately 2,500 passengers would be on its debut cruise, limited to about 70 percent of normal capacity.

All eyes in the industry will be on the Grandiosa after a smaller cruise operator, Norway's Hurtigruten, was forced earlier this month to suspend its newly restarted service after dozens of passengers and crew tested positive for COVID-19.

Global health authorities criticised the industry's slow response to the spread of the virus at the onset of the crisis earlier this year before ships were grounded in March, from lax monitoring of crew, to continued operation of self-service buffets and gyms, to lack of personal protective equipment.

Buffet is served

As of June 11, 3,047 people were infected and 73 people died aboard 48 cruise ships affiliated with trade group Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), according to Johns Hopkins University data, provided by CLIA.

Health authorities say close living and working spaces for crew, along with partially enclosed environments contributed to greater risk of infection on cruises than other venues.

MSC has suspended the rest of its Mediterranean cruises until October save for an August 29 cruise departing from the southern Italian port of Bari.

The company said its new security protocol exceeds national and industry standards, including daily temperatures taken and escorted trips in controlled groups for excursions.

Food from the buffet, a highlight of the cruise experience, will be served at passengers' tables.

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