Six are confirmed dead and four still missing as Italian ship hits Genoa control tower
Six people are confirmed dead with a further four still missing after an Italian ship hit a control tower in Genoa, Italy, last night.
The 239m (784ft) ro-ro container ship struck the tower late last night, reducing it to just a pile of rubble. Rescue workers have been searching for survivors, including diving into the water.
The ship was being manoeuvred by tugs in calm conditions when the incident occured, leaving the cause unknown at this time, although Genoa’s II Secolo XIX newspaper reported that the captain said that the ship’s engines failed and they lost control of the vessel.
The owner of the ship, Stefano Messina, was at the scene soon after the incident. He tearfully told reporters, “We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before, we are desperate.”
Rescuers found a man alive but badly injured in the rubble, but also found three bodies in the tower’s lift. The Telegraph reported that a mobile phone was heard ringing in the rubble, but rescuers hoping that it would be another survivor were unable to locate the noise before the ringing stopped.
The tower, pictured, started to lean 45 degrees after being struck before collapsing, leaving just the emergency staircase standing.
