Two young men are "lucky to be alive"
after the car they were traveling in was swallowed by a huge
sinkhole that opened up early on Wednesday in a road in Naples's
Vomero district.
The pair, who were returning from a party after a university
exam, were saved by Army soldiers who happened to be stationed
in the area as part of the Strade Sicure (Safe Streets)
operation.
A parked car also fell into the sinkhole.
"It's a miracle we are alive. It could have gone much, much
worse," said Giulio Delle Donne, one of the two young men who is
also a municipal councillor.
"We are alive thanks to the fast response of the Army military
personnel.
"Less than a second after (the car plunged into the sinkhole) a
tree fell and a water pipe broke.
"Three soldiers from the Campania Group of the Italian Army
engaged in the Strade Sicure operation who were in the area came
and saved us. A passer-by came too.
"It was just after 4am.
"The water pipe broke and we could have been submerged in water.
"Luckily, we got out of it with just a few scratches.
"After all these (similar) events, let's hope they finally
decide to map out the state of the structures and systems".
Naples Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said that the problem is that the
southern city has "a sewer system that has not had maintenance
for many years.
"We are implementing a project for the continuous monitoring of
the sewer-and-water network and this will allow us to carry out
preventive maintenance," he added.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
