Italian premier expresses sorrow over walkway collapse in Naples leaving 2 dead

By Nur Asena Erturk

Italy’s prime minister Tuesday expressed sorrow over the collapse of a walkway in the southwestern city of Naples, leaving two dead and several others injured.

A balcony of the sail-shaped block named Vela Celeste in the district of Scampia collapsed overnight. Two adults were killed and 13 others, including children, were injured, according to ANSA news agency.

Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed sorrow in a post on X and offered condolences to the victims’ families. She also thanked the firefighters for their prompt intervention.

The entire area and at least 800 residents were evacuated after the incident, and access to the other walkways was also prohibited, ANSA reported.

The blocks built in the 1960s and 1970s, and associated with deprivation, crime, and mafia, were due to be demolished in an urban redevelopment plan.

Napoli Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said on X on Tuesday that the incident would not stop the "rebirth" of the neighborhood.