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Bridge Collapse In Genoa, Italy

AGBF

AGBF

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Jan 26, 2003
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When I woke up this morning I heard on the news that a bridge had collapsed in my husband's home town of Genoa, Italy (Genova in Italian). I called him at once but had to leave a message. Later in the day I heard that none of our family members had been hurt, but everyone is saddened. Genova is actually a beautiful city although most people only travel through it. I have always loved it both for the way it looks and feels and for its food. The people are lovely and I like the way they speak, too. I am posting a video of the collapse. Prayers and dust for the victims and the city are welcome.

Deb/AGBF

Genova, Italia...
 
Oh Dear Lord, thanks for posting this Deb I didn't hear a word of it .My aunt lives there I'll be giving her a call first thing in the morning too late to call her now. I guess I won't be getting much sleep tonight.
 
It is terrifying! What is worse was the mayor( I think it was the mayor) said they were not surprised it broke!
They knew it could kill people and didnt stop people from driving on it!
 
tkyasx78 said:
It is terrifying! What is worse was the mayor( I think it was the mayor) said they were not surprised it broke!
They knew it could kill people and didnt stop people from driving on it!
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Half of Italy is ancient and nearly falling down! lol

It is sad news, though, deaths have been announced :(

I'm sure there will be an investigation into what led up to it, but Italy is not really known for a clear and corruption-free political landscape...
 
OoohShiny said:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45190735

37 declared dead, and going from the size of those concrete blocks, surely more to be announced :(
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Thank you for posting this excellent link, OoohShiny. My great-nephew e-mailed it to me yesterday, but since I already knew about the bridge collapse, I did not click on it. When I clicked on it today, reading your thread, I saw how superior the reporting in that piece was to the reporting in any other piece I have seen. The BBC did a wonderful job.

Again: thank you for posting this link.

Deb/AGBF
 
Cluless said:
Oh Dear Lord, thanks for posting this Deb I didn't hear a word of it .My aunt lives there I'll be giving her a call first thing in the morning too late to call her now. I guess I won't be getting much sleep tonight.
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I hope she is well, Cluless. Let us hope that bad news would have reached you. Fingers crossed. Please let all of us know!

Hugs,
Deb
 
AGBF said:
Thank you for posting this excellent link, OoohShiny. My great-nephew e-mailed it to me yesterday, but since I already knew about the bridge collapse, I did not click on it. When I clicked on it today, reading your thread, I saw how superior the reporting in that piece was to the reporting in any other piece I have seen. The BBC did a wonderful job.

Again: thank you for posting this link.

Deb/AGBF
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The BBC certainly aren't perfect but they do seem to do decent work when it counts!

I'm not really looking forward to more news - it's going to be a slow process getting everything sorted out.
 
Another BBC page with some graphics showing the size of the collapsed section - I have no idea how they're going to deal with securing the rest of the structure, removing it and then replacing it, it's a job that would take years of planning, nevermind trying to do it urgently for safety reasons.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45193614
 
This is so crazy. Monday night I had a dream I was driving across a bridge with my children and it started to lurch back, my car started sliding backwards. I spun around and barelled towards the other direction while I watched cars topple in my rear view mirror. I told my older child about it when I woke up. This is so so sad.
 
Where I live (NE Florida), there are bridges all over. My husband doesn’t understand why I do not like driving over them. This is why.

My heart breaks for those lost and their families and loved ones. Such a tragedy that should not have occurred.
 
ohsomethingshiny said:
Where I live (NE Florida), there are bridges all over. My husband doesn’t understand why I do not like driving over them. This is why.

My heart breaks for those lost and their families and loved ones. Such a tragedy that should not have occurred.
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Actually, the collapse of this bridge in Florida was the first thing I thought of when I heard about the bridge collapse in Genoa. I believe because the news specified that the bridge in Genoa collapsed upon cars, not "just" over a body of water and that is what happened in Florida. Years ago a bridge collapsed very near where I live. I will look for news about it. It was unbelievably tragic. A stretch of I-95 gave way over a river that flows through my town and cars toppled into the river.

Florida bridge collapse...https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article216388430.html

AGBF
 
Here is an article with a photo of the Mianus River Bridge collapse. It happened at night, and many years ago (1983) before traffic became as heavy as it is now. If it happened today or during the day, loss of life would be unimaginable. In the morning and evening commuter traffic is bumper-to-bumper on I-95 on this stretch now. One is lucky to move at five to ten miles an hour.

Mianus River Bridge Collapse...https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/Then-and-now-I-95-s-Mianus-River-Bridge-11309340.php
 
My husband has spent a lot of time in Genoa. The bridge is near the airport, and he drove over it many times. He said one of the bad things about bridges there is that they often have homes and shops right underneath or very close. So sad.
 
I am glad she is ok!!! I have a friend who is on a tour there and she is ok too. My thoughts are with the innocent people who lost their lives in this horrible tragedy.
 
I'm italian and I'm furious because now experts say the collapse was predictable...no words, only anger and sadness for the victims.
 
Yes, piove governo ladro...sad but TRUE!!!
 
What a terrible and possibly avoidable accident.

This is an interesting and sobering report (though I wish they would have used spellcheck). A bridge's lifespan is usually 50-75 years but increased traffic will decrease that exponentially.

https://www.ced.org/reports/fixing-americas-roads-bridges

...
The state of America’s bridges is emblematic of the consequences of deferred maintenance and inadequate system investment. The NHS currently has 5,479 structurally deficient bridges; another 53,312 bridges that are not part of the NHS are also considered structurally deficient. The replacement and rehab costs associated with those bridges are $21.5 billion and $14.5 billion, respectively.18

An additional 84,121 bridges are considered “functionally obsolete.”19 The United States is currently investing only about $12.8 billion per year to address deteriorating bridge conditions when at least $20.5 billion is needed, according to the Federal Highway Administration.20 ...

My district had one of the worst bridges in America until a few years ago. You could see the water below through the holes in the concrete as you were driving over it. It is completely removed and a new one built but it was costly and took years to move through the stages. Environmental always takes the longest though there are other reasons. A project is being held up right now because the state historian says a farmhouse, that will not be physically impacted, may have its historical aesthetic of surroundings affected even though it is not a historical building. It's in town right across from a power substation and has been updated throughout its interior though it is pretty much a wreck of a house.
 
A funeral was held today in Genoa for the victims of the bridge collapse.

"ROME — Italy mourned those killed in the collapse of a bridge in the northern city of Genoa with a state funeral on Saturday as the country struggled to come to terms with a tragedy that government officials, families of victims and some experts say could have been prevented. But some families of the victims boycotted the event.

Flags flew at half-staff across the country on a day of national mourning. Stores shut their doors or draped black ribbons on their windows. And a solemn ceremony was held in Genoa for 19 of the victims of the Aug. 14 collapse.

The death toll rose to 40 on Saturday when one of the 10 wounded people still in hospital died and another victim was found, according to local officials. At least three people are still missing and a car matching the description of their vehicle was discovered on Saturday morning. But no bodies were found with the car.

The families of some victims shunned the funeral ceremony to protest against what they saw as a country that had betrayed their loved ones by not ensuring their safety.

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the archbishop of Genoa who led the funeral ceremony, said in his homily that the collapse was 'a wound to the heart of Genoa.'”


FuneralInGenoa.jpg

A state funeral was held on Saturday, August 18 in Genoa for victims of the bridge collapse.
 
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