Landslide triggers a bridge collapse in north Italy

A bridge located near Savona, north Italy, was swept away by a landslide on November 24, 2019.

The bridge was part of the Italian A6 motorway between Turin and Savona.

The landslide was caused due to heavy rainfalls that struck the region. It occurred in a hilly area and hit the bridge causing a 30-meter section of the structure to fall apart.

The fire department was mobilized and firefighters rushed at the scene in search of potential victims as it was unknown whether a vehicle had been buried under the debris. Fortunately, according to officials, no one was injured and no vehicle was damaged.

“I was just overtaking when I saw somebody waving and I thought he had fallen ill. Then I turned and saw everything was black, the viaduct was gone. Behind me there was also a bus with dozens of people on board – luckily we managed to stop it,” a driver that reached the spot after the collapse, stated.

The incident occurred in the same region where another bridge (Morandi bridge in Genoa) gave way on August 2018, resulting in 43 casualties. A committee that is devoted to the victims of the Morandi bridge disaster demands that the government takes action to prevent similar failures. "It was only thanks to pure chance and immense luck that more innocent people did not die. We want a serious commitment from our government and from parliament so that our country is made safe and every trip does not become a game of Russian roulette", Egle Possetti, the president of a committee, stated.

Many Italian roads were constructed during the economic boom of the 1960s and do not meet the current needs of load and traffic levels. Moreover, the harsh terrain of Italy makes maintenance and monitoring extremely challenging.

According to Bloomberg, the Italian government cannot afford to fund the revitalization of transportation industry. Private companies handle the operation of the country’s main highways and the quality of the roads’ maintenance is disputable.

Italy is currently facing severe issues associated with high precipitation and floods. In many regions, people were evacuated from their residences. Venice experienced the worst floods since 1966.