Genoa bridge collapse killed 43 people and shocked the world

Reuters-The collapse of the Morandi bridge in the northern port town of Genoa shocked the world and killed 43 people, on Friday (February 8) a huge segment of the bridge is expected to be removed. On August 14, 2018, a 200-metre section of the bridge gave way in busy traffic, plunging vehicles and debris to the ground 50 metres (165 feet) below, severing a motorway that connected Genoa with southern France. Built during the post-war boom like much of Italy's infrastructure, the Morandi bridge had been shown to be defective soon after its completion in 1967. Italy's Autostrade, a motorway operator was responsible for its maintenance. The collapse sparked public outrage in the country and Rome's anti-establishment government blamed Autostrade for the disaster and decided to exclude the business from the reconstruction project, even though it will have to pay for it. Italy's Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Luigi di Maio were applauded at a state funeral in Genoa for nineteen of the victims, after their pledge to find the culprit for the catastrophe. Some 600 people have been forced to leave their apartment buildings which lie close to the bridge because the area is structurally unsafe. It is still unclear whether the inhabitants will ever be allowed back home again. A reconstruction contract has been awarded by the special commissioner, Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci, to Italy's biggest builder Salini Impregilo and shipbuilder Fincantieri. The project for the new viaduct, donated by famed Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano, will cost 202 million euros ($230 million) plus tax and be completed in 12 months, the commissioner has said.