Coffins left ‘hanging’ precariously, after burial structure collapse in Italy
In Italy’s Naples, a columbarium has collapsed, spilling out coffins some of which are left hanging precariously in the air.
A columbarium is a burial structure that holds niches for coffins and niches for funeral urns to be stored.
Dramatic pictures of the scene show the coffins hanging on by a thread out of their niches. They can potentially fall at any moment, spilling out their departed residents. This forced authorities to cordon off the area.
This happened at a four-storey funerary building called the Chapel of the Resurrection. As per reports dozens of graves have been destroyed. As per a Guardian report quoting Vincenzo Santagada, a Naples councillor “the collapse was preceded by a bang and a dense cloud of dust.”
Santagada said that “As an administration, we are taking care of all the necessary formalities.”
Families of those buried in the Chapel of the Resurrection held a protest on Tuesday.
As per La Prensa Latina, this is the second such collapse of a cemetery this year. Earlier, on January 5 of this year, another cemetery this one in Poggioreale, which is also the biggest in Naples had suffered a similar accident, which led to the destruction of around 300 graves. The cause of this was a massive ground collapse due to work on a subterranean metro line.
Following the January incident, authorities in Naples Prosecutor’s Office had reportedly ordered the closure of the Poggioreale cemetery. An investigation is underway and 20 people are facing an inquiry over their potential involvement in the metro construction work that caused the accident.
Politicians in the adjoining area of Campania have alleged that “for too many years, cemeteries in Naples have been badly managed”.
Taking to Facebook, Francesco Emilio Borelli, a regional councillor for the Europa Verde party said that these cemeteries have been “left to fend for themselves, falling prey to swindlers and profiteers.”
(With inputs from agencies)
