A cliff wall in Italy, where a cemetery was built into, collapsed on February 22 causing a landslide. Over 200 coffins plunged into the ocean.
Italy’s National Council of Geologists said the collapse was likely caused by years of erosion through wind and storms along the coast, reports The New York Times.
Workers in the town of Camogli recently started to repair and strengthen the century-old cemetery wall, but the area was closed off after officials noticed cracks and heard ‘creaking’.
Emergency workers went out in boats to try and recover the coffins after the collapse, but many coffins are trapped under rubble. ‘This type of collapse that happened today is very hard to detect or to predict,’ Francesco Olivari, the mayor of Camogli, told CNN.
Some residents took to social media expressing their anger and grief over losing the coffins of loved ones, and alleged that authorities have failed to do proper maintenance.
‘I posted a photo I took at the Cemetery in 2012 right on the collapsed side because there were great cracks and even then there was talk about intervening, which wasn’t done,’ wrote resident Lilla Mariotti on Facebook.
Tutti stiamo pensando a quanto è successo ieri al cimitero di Camogli e a tutti coloro che hanno perso i loro cari,…
Posted by Lilla Mariotti on Wednesday, 24 February 2021
‘My photo ended up in the city with a registered letter but no response ever came, plus Levante News had published an article about these cracks. The article that was repeated in 2018… since 2012 nothing has been done with the consequence we’ve all seen.’
Olivari said the town will provide counselling for those who were affected by the loss of the coffins.
#Camogli. Il video del #crollo del #cimitero da parte di alcuni operai che si erano messi in sicurezza poco prima che il fronte collassasse. pic.twitter.com/eFxCeEPWxb
— Babboleo News (@BabboleoNews) February 22, 2021
#Camogli (GE), frana cimitero: prosegue da parte di specialisti #sommozzatori e nautici dei #vigilidelfuoco la ricerca e il recupero delle centinaia di bare finite in mare lunedì pomeriggio. Droni in volo per monitorare le operazioni delle squadre e l’area del crollo #24febbraio pic.twitter.com/cRFxHw0KJe
— Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) February 24, 2021
#Camogli: questa mattina insulti al sindaco per non aver previsto il crollo. Erano state notate crepe profonde e si udivano rumori sinistri. Alcuni lavori erano stati già avviati ed erano presenti anche reti di protezione che però non sono state sufficienti. pic.twitter.com/jMg56Zba0V
— Babboleo News (@BabboleoNews) February 23, 2021
Picture: Twitter/emergenzavvf
