Relatives, officials bid farewell to Genoa bridge collapse victims
Rome, Aug 18 : Friends and relatives of 19 of the victims of a deadly bridge collapse in the Italian city of Genoa bade farewell to their loved ones at a state funeral on Saturday, while the families of 19 others opted for private ceremonies.
Overnight, firefighting teams found the bodies of three other people inside a vehicle, a couple and their nine-year-old daughter, while another body was found later Saturday, bringing the death toll to at least 42.
Some families reportedly stayed away from the ceremony because of anger at the government. The collapse of a section of the Morandi motorway bridge and the deaths of those crossing in vehicles has led to a fierce debate in Italy about the nation's infrastructure, the BBC reported.
"The bridge collapsed. It was not only an important part of the highway, but a necessary route for the daily lives of so many, an essential artery for the development of the city. But Genoa is not giving up," said Archbishop of Genoa Angelo Bagnasco.
He also spoke about the need for justice, though pointed out this would not restore what had been lost.
Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte attended the state funeral attended by 5,000 people, along with other government representatives, a report in the Guardian daily said.
Mattarella said it was necessary to find out who was responsible of an "unacceptable tragedy."
The government has set up a commission to examine the causes of the disaster and one member speculated that a broken cable rod was "a serious work hypothesis", according to reports.
The coffins of the 19 victims were topped with white roses and some with the flags representing their home countries. Besides Italians, four French people, two Albanians, three Chileans, a Peruvian and a Colombian were among those who lost their lives on Tuesday.
Firefighters belonging to the team involved in the non-stop excavations to locate the victims were greeted to a loud applause at the ceremony.
Works were ongoing to locate a person who remained missing. Other families had chosen to hold private funerals.
Shops and businesses across the city were closed as Italy marked a national day of mourning. Football players from the Genoa and Sampdoria teams also attended the ceremony.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
