Pavement collapse at notorious Italian estate in Naples kills two

Two people were killed and 13 injured after a sidewalk collapsed on a council estate that has become synonymous with the Naples Mafia’s drug war.

Several members of the same family were reportedly getting some fresh air on a sweltering night when a third-floor walkway connecting two halves of a building in the dilapidated Scampia estate collapsed beneath their feet.

One of the residents, Vincenza Troise, said she was having dinner “when the door was open because it was so hot, and suddenly we heard a loud noise, like an earthquake.”

The victims were named by locals as 29-year-old Roberto, a butcher and father of a two-year-old girl, and his 35-year-old aunt Margherita, who had three children.

Seven of the 13 people injured were children between the ages of 2 and 8 years old. Two of the younger children were described in critical condition.

Overnight, more than 800 people in the manor were evacuated.

Several residents told Italian media they blamed the accident on ongoing construction work at the estate. “Every morning you can feel the vibrations of the jackhammer and see the rocks rolling down,” one woman told state broadcaster Rai.

Naples prosecutors have opened an investigation into manslaughter.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni said on the 1st that she was “saddened” by what happened and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

The Scampia estate in northern Naples was built in the 1960s, at the height of Italy’s post-war economic boom.

Consists of seven large buildings – known as with him Known as “The Sail” for its triangular shape – the complex was inspired by the modernist housing developments developed by French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier and was designed to accommodate Naples’ rapidly growing population. population.

But the green spaces, schools, public areas and playgrounds that were intended to be the heart of a thriving community never materialized, and public transportation to Naples was never built.

The area soon became a hotspot for organized crime, prostitution and open-air drug dealing, and Scampia became a symbol of urban decay.

The situation was further exacerbated when many homeless families moved illegally into Scampia buildings after an earthquake in the area in 1980, exacerbating overcrowding and insecurity.

In the early 2000s, Roberto Saviano’s book “Gomorrah” chronicled the bloody battles between rival gangs, and the film of the same name was partly shot in Scampia .

Many residents try to shed the label through grassroots cultural initiatives, community projects or activities aimed at keeping children away from gangs.

But more often it is violent incidents – such as the 2012 killing of a mafia boss in a kindergarten playground – that make Scampia headlines.

Italian authorities began dismantling Sail in 1998, but the work was often halted due to the discovery of asbestos.

A university campus has been built where one of the sails once stood, with plans for a new kindergarten, cultural center and park.

By the end of the year, only one building – the Vela Celeste (Blue Sail) where Monday’s accident occurred – will remain standing and will be converted into offices.

The city of Naples said earlier this year that the last “sail” would remain in place “as a symbol of the past, this community and this community’s struggle for redemption.”

Naples Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said he was “deeply saddened by this tragedy” but added that projects to repurpose the sail would not stop.

“Now there is hope [injured] The kids… I want to reiterate to them that our commitment to Scampia will be stronger than ever.