President Sergio Mattarella said
Monday that the Gorla massacre in Milan was a "senseless,
unimaginable, huge tragedy" while meeting survivors and family
members of victims of a World War II bombing raid that killed
184 elementary school children.
Speaking on the 80th anniversary of the massacre at the Gorla
district north of Milan, Mattarella said the "pain for such a
huge tragedy can't be forgotten".
Addressing directly one of the survivors, Graziella Ghisalberti,
the president said that, during the commemoration, she had read
out all the names of those who had survived and those who had
died in "the most beautiful commemoration that could be done".
The ceremony was attended by Regional Governor Attilio Fontana,
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala dn Prefect Claudio Sparaglia.
The air raid on October 20, 1944 had originally targeted an
industrial complex near Milan, but a second wave of bombers went
off course and released their bombs south-east of the target to
lighten their loads before returning to base with one bomb
striking the Francesco Crispi elementary school.
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