Disaster – 200 coffins slipped into the sea on the Ligurian coast

In the Ligurian coastal town of Camogli, parts of the high-sea cemetery containing about 200 coffins and urns fell in a landslide. Along with stones and rubble from the cliff, bodies rushed straight into the water in the accident on Monday. A video filmed by construction workers shows how one of the walls of a multi-story cemetery typical of Italy simply breaks off and falls into the depths:

“The search for coffins is still going on,” Mayor Francesco Olivari said on Tuesday. Soon after the demolition, firefighters, coast guards, and other auxiliaries began to search for coffins that had been swept away by boats and divers under the picturesque cemetery.

Shortly before the accident, the workers who worked at the cemetery heard a loud noise. Then the outer wall and part of the area separated. “Some of the fallen remains may also be on a slope under the rubble,” said Mayor Olivari. Rescue work around the historic site of the medieval castle complex is still underway.

The cause of the landslide in the area near Genoa, which is popular with tourists, was initially open. According to Olivari, torrential rains and storm surges in recent years could have weakened the Earth’s interior. There were no casualties in the landslide.

The abandonment of the cemetery was not a surprise

Initially, the experts did not see any significant danger to other buildings in the vicinity. The community has offered ten residents alternative accommodation if they no longer feel safe in their four walls for “psychological reasons.”

According to Tino Rivello, a member of Camogli’s city council and in charge of community action, the area has been under surveillance for a few days. “The area surrounding the cemetery has been cordoned off because we heard a strange squeaking in the past few days,” said the consultant, Revillo, to Italian news agencies.

To prevent coffins and funerary property from being transported in the open sea by current, the Coast Guard has now set up several barriers in the water. (dpa / chm)