Bad weather in Sicily, rivers overflow: bridge collapsed in Trapani

Sicily still in the grip of bad weather, lashed by rain and wind yesterday. Tragedy touched on during the night in the Trapani area. A bridge that connects Alcamo to Castellammare del Golfo has collapsed. The failure occurred along the state road 187. The pylon of the bridge over the San Bartolomeo river collapsed. No injuries were recorded. The artery was closed to traffic. “I informed the Prefecture and activated the Municipal Operations Center to coordinate civil protection operations since we find ourselves in a full and serious emergency. Bad weather is bringing the area to its knees with more subsidence and flooding. Tonight it collapsed, fortunately without causing any injuries , the bridge over the San Bartolomeo river due to the collapse of the central pylon “, said the mayor of Castellammare del Golfo, Nicolò Rizzo, who invites his fellow citizens to” not move unless necessary or do it with the utmost caution as collapses are possible sudden even in conditions of apparent normality “. “A car was about to enter the bridge but the driver stopped the vehicle just in time”, explains Rizzo, confirming that there are no injuries. The mayor is present on site with the municipal police and technical office staff. Meanwhile, the state of the places is being checked after the collapse of the bridge over the San Bartolomeo river on the state road 187, which leads to the Castellammare del Golfo railway station and connects with Alcamo marina. Road closed at km 43.697. # Trapani, no person involved tonight in the collapse of the San Bartolomeo bridge along the SS 187 in the municipality of Castellammare del Golfo: the safety measures of the road section and the surrounding area have been completed [#11dicembre 9:45] pic.twitter.com/no6FR0ekCv— Fire Brigade (@emergenzavvf) December 11, 2021 “We are monitoring more areas of the territory at risk. Failure and closure also in the Intavolata district and another collapse in the Piano Vignazzi area”. “For weeks we have been experiencing a very serious bad weather emergency – says the mayor -. The fury of the continuous and copious rains has created enormous damage throughout the territory and criticalities in several city areas. It is necessary to secure the entire ridge above the former state road 187 due to the continuous landslides, very dangerous for the safety of citizens. Following an inspection by the Civil Engineers and Civil Protection, a section is closed after the landslide of 21 October just before the north junction for Playa beach and the bridge over the river just collapsed. We are awaiting the urgent consolidation intervention after a previous collapse and another area made safe in 2019 with an intervention financed by the Civil Protection. The territory is now further tormented – he concludes – by the very serious bad weather emergency we are facing. still citizens to pay maximum attention “. A hotel restaurant was evacuated yesterday afternoon in Burgio, in the agrigenti no. The decision after the landslide that affected the Campello district. Earth and mud have invaded the open space in front of the structure, stopping on the perimeter wall of the hotel. As a precaution, the 16 guests of the hotel were evacuated. No injuries were recorded. Carabinieri on site. The flooding of some rivers made it necessary to evacuate some houses. The men of the regional civil protection work tirelessly to facilitate the return to normalcy. The main problems in Agrigento, where eight families were evacuated from their homes due to the flooding of the Akragas river. In the province of Trapani in Calatafimi-Segesta since last night there has been the flooding of the Freddo river, here too eight families have been evacuated. While in Castellammare del Golfo, teams of volunteers and rescuers are in action for the partial collapse of the bridge over the San Bartolomeo river. In the Catania area, precisely in Licodia Eubea, two families were evacuated, both of which were married in old age, due to a large boulder that broke away from the slope adjacent to their home and hit the building. The mayor is arranging for their accommodation. In Sciacca (Agrigento), the decentralized functional center of the Sicilian Civil Protection has sent teams to observe the state of criticalities at the intersection of provincial road 56 on the Belíce river. ‘Special watched’ is the Eleuterio river in Bagheria. The Prefecture of Palermo has sent a communication of danger alert phase 1 due to a greater load of water. “This overload of water – explained by the Municipality of Palermo – occurs due to the exceeding of the maximum altitude in the event of exceptional floods at the Scanzano and Rosella dams in the territory of Piana degli Albanesi due to recent rains”. The municipal civil protection has implemented the envisaged emergency plan. The situation is currently under control. The traffic police will continue to carry out patrols and will monitor the course of the river. “Due to debris, especially the presence of reeds, the flow of water towards the sea is not flowing and large puddles can be created”, explain the municipal administration. The area is constantly monitored by municipal police teams but the invitation to citizens is “not to go to the area and to pay particular attention to those who live in the neighboring areas”. Municipal Civil Protection has also been activated with a state of reinforced vigilance alert in case of danger of sudden floods of water due to dams unloading maneuvers. Flooded garages, roads transformed into rivers, stranded motorists and diverted flights. The bad weather that has also hit Palermo since yesterday is creating numerous inconveniences in the city. Over 70 requests for intervention arrived during the night at the fire brigade operations room. The most affected areas are those of Partanna Mondello, via Ugo la Malfa, alla Zisa and in viale Regione Siciliana near Leroy Merlin. Discomfort also for air transport. The flight arriving from Seville this morning was diverted to Trapani, while flights FR4798 and FR1438, coming respectively from Bologna and Milan to Catania. Passengers will be transferred by bus to the Sicilian capital. Meanwhile, the regional civil protection has issued a yellow weather alert valid until 24 today. “Due to the heavy rains, be very careful for those who only out of necessity travel the external access roads to Piana, Sp 5 Piana-Altofonte and Sp 34 Piana-San Giuseppe Jato “. To say it is the mayor of Piana degli Albanesi (Palermo), Rosario Petta. Due to the heavy rains, criticalities are recorded on the external access roads to Piana degli Albanesi. “On provincial 34, before Portella della Ginestra, near the Kumeta farmhouse – explains the mayor -, the road is affected by a landslide and the roadway is blocked by debris”. On site, the volunteers of the Civil Protection, the technicians of the metropolitan city and the municipal police.
Fear this morning in San Salvatore di Fitalia, in the Messina area, where this morning there was the collapse of a part of the rocky ridge of the climb that leads to the cemetery. Debris and boulders ended up in the street. Also in the province of Messina, in Naso, in via Giovanni Raffaele, a dilapidated and uninhabited building collapsed. The technicians of the regional civil protection are on site to secure the area and verify the stability of the adjacent building. In Capizzi, on the other hand, a survey of the damage is underway throughout the territory: in the locality of Birruso a landslide has been reported , with mud and debris that have invaded the provincial road 168. Disruption to vehicular traffic. Several roads are impassable in Caronia (Messina), while in Librizzi due to two landslides that affected the provincial agricultural roads Vallonevina and Santa Venera, traffic is interrupted.