Huge section of an Italian bridge collapses following a storm.
The footage shows the bridge with a large crack across one of its segments as water from the earlier storm flows underneath it.
Suddenly an entire section of the ‘Ortiano 2’ viaduct, located on the 177 Sila-Mare road near Ortiano in Cosenza province, in the Calabria region, in southern Italy, collapses with a crash.
The images, filmed on Wednesday, 3rd May, show the section of the bridge dropping into the water with a crunch and were compared with the Ponte Morandi bridge collapse in Genoa nearly five years ago.
The Governor of the Calabria region of Italy, Roberto Occhiuto, said: “It could have been a tragedy.”
However the bridge had luckily been closed to vehicles shortly beforehand and no injuries were reported.
Unlike the Ponte Morandi collapse that killed 43 people and injured 16 others when it collapsed on Tuesday, 14th August 2018, traffic had been stopped hours earlier along the road after the Trionto swelled due to bad weather.
Governor Occhiuto said: “It is a bridge built only nine years ago by the local municipalities […].
“These are images that recall the Genoa bridge, the Morandi bridge, which claimed so many victims.
“Do you know why there were no victims? Because Anas [National Autonomous Roads Corporation], in a provident way, closed this stretch of road, and therefore prevented the passage of vehicles construction site, cars.
“Otherwise today we would be commenting on a tragedy. I called the CEO of Anas, I am pleased with this choice.”
He added: “I will demand that all responsibilities, if there are responsibilities, are ascertained because in 2023 a bridge built only nine years before cannot fall like this.”
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Central European News
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