Deadly Bridge Collapse in Italy Takes Lives of Entire Family – Photos

Italian press outlets have named a family of three as being among the 39 confirmed victims of the collapse, while rescuers are still searching for bodies and possible survivors.

Roberto Robbiano, Ersilia Piccinino, and their eight-year-old son, Samuele were traveling to Voltri to see Roberto’s relatives. Roberto, 44, was a construction worker born in Voltri, a small Genoa suburban, La Repubblica reported. He and his family moved to Campomorone, a small town to the north of Genoa. The only way to Voltri is through Genoa and the autostrada E80, which is the major motorway for anyone wanting to go through the city from the north.

The bodies of Roberto, his wife and their son were among the 37 bodies found during the rescue mission. When the incident happened, they were in their car on the collapsed part of the bridge. A friend of the family, who arrived around 1 p.m. the same day, told La Repubblica that he recognized their automobile and the Spiderman ball Samuele loved to play with. Spiderman was the boy’s favorite superhero – numerous Facebook photos show Samuele wearing clothes with the web shooter’s symbols. Relatives were informed of their deaths on the same day by doctors from San Martino hospital. Reports confirmed that the family planned their holiday in Sardinia.

“Immense Pain and Emptiness”
Alberto Fafani and his girlfriend, Marta Danisi were traveling towards the northern city of Alessandria, where Marta was said to have recently moved to for work as a nurse. Alberto worked as an anesthesiologist in Pisa, his death was confirmed via Twitter by Dario Nardella, the mayor of his hometown of Florence. His most recent photo featured him and Marta together on the seacoast. Marta, 29, born in Sicily in the small town of Sant’Agata di Militello, wasn’t officially named to be among the victims, however Bruno Mancuso the mayor of her hometown, had confirmed her death to local media,citing her relatives.

“I am shocked and saddened by the tragedy that has struck somebody from our town,” Mayor Mancuso said. “On behalf of all the community, we express our deepest condolences and solidarity with her family over this immense pain and emptiness that has hit them.”

Rescuers Aren’t Giving Up
The rescue operation continues even after the sun sets. “All accessible spaces have been explored; now we are moving the largest pieces of debris,” fire official Emanuele Gissi told AFP, noting that although it is impossible to tell if there are any remaining survivors, it’s “their job to search.” Four people who miraculously survived the collapse were pulled from the wreckage in the hours after the incident. Two large cranes are planned to be used in the operation, which could take days. Sources in the interior ministry told Italian media that 16 people were taken to the hospital after the collapse, including 12 in serious condition.

More than 200 meters of the Morandi Bridge collapsed at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday during a sudden and heavy storm. About 30 vehicles were affected, falling from the 45-meter height mostly onto the railway tracks below and being crushed by the rubble, the fire service said. Aerial footage showed that the wreckage had narrowly missed residential buildings, collapsing over the river.

Previous reports proved that there were fears about the possible collapse of the bridge two years before the catastrophic event. One of Genoa’s residents, a condominium administrator Francesco Ristori Monaco, confirmed to Sputnik that many people thought the bridge built 51 years ago was dangerous. He claimed that the Morandi Bridge was “the main highway in Liguria”, allowing people arriving from Spain and France to travel to central and southern Italy.

“I’m not an engineer. I cannot judge what happened. I can only wait for Italian justice and hope liabilities are defined,” Francesco added.