A long section of the towering Ponte Morandi Bridge completely collapsed in Genoa, Italy, on Tuesday, sending cars and trucks on the A10 highway crashing down below. Dozens of people died in the bridge failure, officials say.
As news emerged from the chaotic scene, the death toll fluctuated several times Tuesday. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said there were 22 dead, according to public broadcaster Rai News. But Italy's ANSA news agency has reported at least 37 people died, citing the fire brigade.
Workers have found bodies and vehicles in the massive amount of wreckage left by the collapse — and at least 11 people have been pulled from the rubble alive, Italian media report.
[...] The disaster struck shortly before noon, when one of the bridge's central pillars collapsed during a violent rainstorm. A witness told ANSA that lightning had struck the bridge before the collapse.
[...] The bridge was built in the late 1960s, at a length of more than 3,600 feet. It had recently been the subject of renovation and repair efforts. Italian roadway company Autostrade says the most recent work included consolidating the viaduct's base — a project that included installing a bridge crane.
Besides the obvious news value of this event, I'd be curious of any civil engineers or structural engineers could comment on the engineering behind such things. What causes these types of crumblings to happen, and exactly how reliable is infrastructure around the world?
(Score: 5, Informative) by MostCynical on Thursday August 16 2018, @12:22PM (4 children)
This guy gave it ten years.
The local council is the same party that is sharing power nationally in Italy, and are the blaming the EU.
https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/in-ten-years-this-bridge-will-collapse-the-man-who-foresaw-a-tragedy-20180816-p4zxqf.html [smh.com.au]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Thursday August 16 2018, @12:37PM
Thank you for sharing. This is fucking despicable all around.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Thursday August 16 2018, @08:48PM
"We Europeans seem to cover news from the rest of the world in preference to repeating the same old political stories repeatedly." -- @janrinok
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday August 16 2018, @10:55PM (1 child)
Councillor Paolo Putti was furious.
“I take this opportunity to express my feeling of anger… and I must also say a bit of amazement,” he said.
In 10 years, Putti said, far from ruing a bridge collapse, entrepreneurs would instead wonder why they had squandered €5 billion ($7.8 billion) on the bypass.
He said the bridge could stand for another 100 years.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday August 17 2018, @12:07AM
€5billion saved
M5S in power locally and nationally
Fewer than 30 dead.
Not bad ROI for supporing the NIMBYs, and saving money!
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex