Two dead, 13 wounded in Naples balcony collapse

Seven children among the injured in Scampia building incident

By: ansa.it

Jul 27 2024
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Two dead, 13 wounded in Naples

The death toll following the collapse overnight of a balcony of the Vela Celeste (Sky Blue Sail) building in the town of Scampia near Naples has risen to two, authorities said on Tuesday.
    Naples Prefect Michele di Bari said a man, aged 29, and a woman, 35, had died while 13 people had reported injuries, including seven children between the ages of two and eight.
    Authorities have opened an investigation into the collapse and the 800 residents of the building, including 300 children, have been evacuated.
    Several other 'Sails' apartment buildings have been torn down over their state of decay in the crime-ridden district.
    A 'restyling' of the area, which is trying to make a civic comeback after years of being identified with the Camorra mafia and drug pushing, has started and the municipal administration announced in April renovation work on the 'Vela Celeste' to be funded under the Piano Periferie (suburbs plan) with some 18 million euros.
    The Sails were an iconic backdrop in the hit Camorra TV show Gomorra (Gomorrah), based on Roberto Saviano's expose' of the same name which earned the anti-mafia writer death threats that forced him into a police protection programme.