Road collapse near Vatican City in Rome destroys 7 cars, 20 families evacuated
Featured image: Road collapse in Rome on February 14, 2018. Credit: EPA
A large stretch of a road near Vatican City in northwestern Rome, Italy collapsed on February 14, 2018, taking with it seven parked cars. There were no injuries reported but 2 nearby buildings with 22 families were ordered to evacuate. The event followed a day of heavy rain and snow.
The incident took place in Balduina, a residential area northwest of Vatican City, creating a chasm more than 9 m (30 feet) deep.
ANSA news agency said emergency crews have shut down a pipeline damaged by the collapse and water has been brought in to ensure there’s a supply for residents.
#Roma nel tardo pomeriggio di ieri #14feb due squadre dei #vigilidelfuoco sono intervenute nel quartiere #Balduina a causa di una voragine che ha interessato la sede stradale. Due stabili evacuati precauzionalmente e zona messa in sicurezza #soccorsiquotidiani pic.twitter.com/IxwDqPKjki
— Vigili del Fuoco (@emergenzavvf) February 15, 2018
The stretch of road which collapsed is near a building site, where construction workers began demolition of buildings in October 2017 to make way for new residential buildings and underground parking space.
Officials are checking other nearby buildings for structural damage.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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