Fire in Rome, part of the Ponte dell'Industria collapses. Rays: "It is heartbreaking to see a piece of history reduced like this"

Night of fire in Rome.

A fire broke out due to causes under investigation in the Ostiense area, overwhelming the Ponte dell'Industria, also known as the "iron bridge", and causing the collapse of part of the completely metal structure and 131 meters long, built between 1862 and 1863 by a Belgian company to connect the Civitavecchia railway line to Termini central station.

Firefighters had to work hours to put out the flames that also hit some surrounding makeshift shelters and vegetation. Also involved is a gas pipeline.

Fortunately, no one was injured. Some neighborhoods close to Ostiense have remained without light. The Campidoglio has activated the Municipal Operations Center, with the Civil Protection of the Capital already at work to activate replacement services in the area.

"At the moment what we can say is that it tightens our heart to see a piece of history reduced in this way - said Mayor Virginia Raggi -. Already in the next few hours the municipal committee has been convened to see the services, gas and electricity. And then we must see the structural stability. Afterwards we will try to work on the reopening of the road network. For now the important thing is that there are no injured people. There are investigations in progress ".

According to some testimonies being examined, the flames would have started from the shacks that are located under the structure, camps where several people live. In addition to the firefighters, the Divers Unit is also at work for the investigations.

This morning, in the meantime, the Port Authority of Rome Fiumicino issued an urgent order with measures prohibiting navigation and parking a stretch of the Tiber at the height of the bridge due to "serious risk of collapses" and "detachment of parts on fire on the underlying stretch navigable river ".

(Unioneonline / D)

VIDEO: