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WORLD NEWS Saturday 18 auguSt 2018

Anger engulfs families as Italy buries its bridge victims

By COLLEEN BARRY would fall on top of it.
FRANCES D'EMILIO Since neither the car's win-
PAOLO SANTALUCIA dows nor its doors would
Associated Press budge, he unclipped his
GENOA, Italy (AP) — With seat belt and climbed out
anger and grief, Italians through a hole in the rear
began burying some of of the car that was blasted
their dead Friday from the open by the crash. Outside,
Genoa highway bridge he said, "there was an un-
collapse, holding funerals real silence" — destroyed
in the victims' hometowns. vehicles and piles of bro-
Several angry families re- ken concrete and asphalt,
buffed the offer of a state but no signs of life, no cries
funeral and the cardinal for help.
of Naples was merciless in Rescue workers then
his condemnation of negli- helped him climb down
gence by Italian officials. from the rubble.
Saturday has been de- "I got out with my own legs,"
clared a national day of said Capello, who plays for
mourning in Italy and will a Serie C club in Liguria. "I
include a state funeral at don't know if anyone else
the industrial port city's managed to. I was saved
fair grounds for those who by a miracle."
plunged to their deaths as "The car protected me. Be-
the 45-meter (150-foot) tall A woman mourns a victim of a collapsed highway bridge, at the Fiera di Genova exhibition cen- sides God, the car also did
Morandi Bridge gave way ter, where some of the coffins are laid in state, in Genoa, Italy, Friday, Aug. 17, 2018. its job," Capello said.
Tuesday. Associated Press On Thursday, prosecutors
But many of those who said as many as 20 people
lost loved ones declined driving rainstorm might take dren of those who are de- darkness." could still be missing in the
to participate in the state weeks or months to deter- spairing today." "It came down, everything, bridge collapse, but cau-
funeral. Some cited the mine. But Genoa prosecu- "I have died inside, but I the world came down," he tioned that some people
need to bid farewell in pri- tors say they are focusing have to find the clarity of told The Associated Press in initially reported as unac-
vate while others blamed their investigation into pos- mind to say that four boys an interview Friday, adding counted for might be on
the loss of at least 38 lives sible criminal blame on de- were not No. 27, No. 28, that he managed to walk vacation and hadn't yet
on those responsible for the sign flaws or inadequate etc (on the victims' list), but away physically unharmed contacted their families.
bridge's safety. maintenance on the heav- people who loved life," Bat- but psychologically trau- Civil protection depart-
Anger and sadness erupt- ily traveled bridge, which tiloro declared. matized. ment officials said Friday
ed at the funeral Friday was completed in 1967 Other private funerals were His car plunged nose there might only be five
for four men in their 20s, and linked two high-speed held in Piedmont and else- first, then stopped with a people missing, but the ex-
all friends from the Naples highways in the city. where in Italy. crash, air bags releasing all act number was fluctuat-
seaside suburb of Torre del "My boy and the others suf- Survivors, for their part, around him. He said he saw ing.
Greco, whose lives were fered murder," said Roberto were shocked at how they only gray, as concrete dust Excavators have begun
snuffed out as they drove Battiloro, whose 29-year- escaped with their lives. covered the windows. clearing large sections of
over the bridge heading to old son, a videographer, Davide Capello, 33, a fire- Capello used the touch- the collapsed bridge. Res-
a vacation in Spain. was one of the four friends fighter and soccer player, screen phone in the car cuers have been tunnel-
"You can't, you mustn't who died. "They died an was driving alone on the to call colleagues at the ing through tons of jagged
die for negligence! For absurd, blameless death bridge when his Volkswa- Savona dispatch center, steel and concrete blocks
carelessness! For irrespon- just for going on holiday." gen Tiguan and the road who sent help. He then to look inside crushed ve-
sibility! For superficiality!" His voice shaking with an- it was on plunged to the called his girlfriend and his hicles.
thundered Naples Cardi- ger, Battiloro said his son ground. He immediately father, a retired firefighter, Several vehicles, aban-
nal Crescenzio Sepe in his was the "victim of a cruel understood that the struc- who told him to get out doned by their fleeing oc-
homily. fate, but also of whoever ture was collapsing, watch- of the car immediately for cupants on the intact ends
Finding the cause of the didn't think that on that ing in shock as a car in front fear that it would desta- of the bridge, were gingerly
bridge's collapse during a bridge could be the chil- of him "disappeared in bilize or something heavy removed Friday. q