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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Graeme Murray

Building suddenly collapses leaving coffins perilously dangling in the air

A building has suddenly collapsed leaving coffins perilously dangling in the air.

It happened after a four-storey tower block containing caskets and funeral urns crumbled.

Poggioreale Monumental Cemetery, which is said to be the the largest in Naples, Italy, gave way on Monday for the second time.

Photographs show the caskets precariously hanging by a thread.

Authorities are unclear as to why it collapsed, but poor management of cemeteries in the southern has been cited by critics in the Italian city where work is taking place on an underground metro line

Twelve coffins were left hanging in the air after the dramatic incident.

The city council ordered the Poggioreale Monumental Cemetery to be closed as a precaution (Ciro Fusco/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Fire brigade examined the scene and agreed that the entire site should be closed down (Ciro Fusco/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The site has been closed as an investigation was launched into the Chapel of Resurrection in the cemetery’s Porta Balestrieri area.

Graves were damaged while others broke out of the building

A councillor for the city claimed there was a "bang and a dense cloud of dust" before the collapse happened..

Vincenzo Santagada told The Guardian : "As an administration, we are taking care of all the necessary formalities."

The Naples cemetery collapse exposed bodies (Ciro Fusco/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Investigators are speaking to around 20 people alleged involvement in construction work of the city's subway.

The site had a similar collapse on January 5 which local reports said destroyed more than 300 graves.

A closure of the building has been ordered by The Naples Prosecutor’s Office.

Councillors say the city’s cemeteries have been overlooked for years and are in need of maintenance and repair.

The structural collapse at a Naples cemetery is believed to have been caused by recent rains (Ciro Fusco/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Francesco Emilio Borelli, of the Europa Verde party, said on Facebook : "It is a critical and unacceptable situation.

"For too many years the Neapolitan cemeteries have been mismanaged and left to fend for themselves, falling prey to swindlers and profiteers.

"This is the result."

The Mirror reported on another cemetery collapse in Ireland in 2017.

Frank Taaffe demanded his local authority help rebuild the wall that separates his back garden from the graveyard in County Meath, Ireland.

The gap in the boundary wall means human remains - including part of a skull - are falling into his garden.

Mr Taaffe said the he has seen bones, including part of a skull, lying out in the open and fears it is only a matter of time before he sees more gruesome sights.

An investigation was launched into the Chapel of Resurrection in the cemetery’s Porta Balestrieri area (Ciro Fusco/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The 63-year-old said: “The graves will be moving and so we could see more bones and that is the last thing we want.

“So far I’ve just covered the ones we’ve found. You want show them respect in their resting place so I wouldn’t move them myself.

“I’ve had the families of people buried here get in touch and ask if we can do anything about it, but council haven’t done anything.

“An archaeologist came out to see the wall in March but since then I’ve got more answers from talking to the steering wheel of my car.”

Mr Taaffe said problems with the wall started two decades ago when rain caused a section of the it to collapse.

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