Post date: May 08, 2013 10:25:29 AM
At least five people died and four are missing as a cargo ship rammed the control tower in Genoa's port, in Italy's worse maritime disaster since the Costa Concordia shipwreck.
GENOA, ITALY (MAY 8, 2013) (REUTERS) - Five people were killed and four are missing after a container ship crashed into a control tower in the northern Italian port city of Genoa late on Tuesday (May 7).
The tower, which was more than 50 meters (160 feet) high and looked much like the ones common at airports, collapsed after being struck by the prow of the ship, the Jolly Nero.Two of the dead were Coast Guard officials and the third was a pilot for the port, a Coast Guard spokesman said. A fourth victim was recovered from the wreckage on Wednesday (May 8) and has yet to be identified.
The accident happened as staff were changing shifts, so more people than normal were in the tower.
Three people were believed to have been trapped in the lift of the control tower and may have fallen into the sea.
Television pictures early on Wednesday showed that the only thing left where the tower had stood was a badly leaning metal-framed stairway. Divers from the fire department were shown in the water searching for bodies.
Later still photographs showed more of the collapsed tower with the staircase.
The cause of the crash was unclear. It occurred at about 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) in calm conditions as the Jolly Nero, owned by local fleet operator Ignazio Messina and Co, was manoeuvring out of the port with the assistance of tugboats, under the control of two pilots.
The Jolly Nero is a 238 meter-long (781 foot) ship with a gross tonnage of 40,594 tonnes, according to the company's website.