Italy government demands resignations after bridge collapse kills 39
Rome, Aug 15 : The Italian government on Wednesday demanded the resignation of the heads of the company that manages the country's highways, after the death toll in Genoa city's bridge collapse rose to 39, with rescuers continuing their search for possible survivors.
"The leaders of Autostrade per l'Italia must resign, first of all. And given that there have been serious breaches, we have activated procedures for the possible revocation of their concessions and to impose fines of up to 150 million euro ($170 million)," said Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli.
A roughly 100-metre segment of Morandi bridge in Genoa collapsed on Tuesday noon during heavy rain, causing at ;east 40 vehicles to plunge to the ground. The local prefecture raised the death toll on Wednesday, with 37 of them identified, the BBC reported.
At least three children aged 8, 12 and 13, lost their lives. The city's authorities declared two days of mourning. Rescuers said there was little hope for more survivors underneath the bridge.
A huge tower and sections of the bridge fell on to railway lines, a river and a warehouse. There were 16 people being treated in hospital, 12 of them in a serious condition.
About 440 people were evacuated from the area amid fears other parts of the bridge might fall.
The cause of the disaster was not immediately clear but questions were raised about the safety of the structure. The Morandi Bridge, built in the 1960s, stands on the A10 toll motorway, an important conduit for goods traffic from local ports, which also serves the Italian Riviera and southern coast of France.
Interior Minister Matteo Salvini vowed to bring anyone responsible for the collapse to book. Three French people were among the dead, the country's Foreign Ministry said.
The car of Davide Capello, 33, a former goalkeeper for Serie A side Cagliari, came down in the collapse but he survived, according to the BBC.
"I was able to get out... I don't know how my car wasn't crushed. It seemed like a scene from a film, it was the apocalypse," he said.
Italy's Ansa news agency quoted a witness as saying they heard "an incredible roar and first we thought it was thunder very close by".
"We live about 5 kilometre from the bridge but we heard a crazy bang... We were very scared... Traffic went completely haywire and the city was paralyzed."
The collapse of the bridge was an "incident of vast proportions on a vital arterial road, not just for Genoa, but for the whole country", said Liguria region Governor Giovanni Toti.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
