Naples – A dozen public officials have been entered into the register of suspects in the investigation by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office into the collapse of the Vela Celeste balcony in Scampia, which occurred last July 22.
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The tragic accident, which occurred shortly after 22:30 p.m., caused the death of three people and injured eleven others, including seven children. The charges put forward by investigators are negligent collapse, multiple negligent homicide and negligent injuries.
The investigations, conducted by the Naples Flying Squad and coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Manuela Persico of the “Work and Professional Misconduct” section of the Naples Prosecutor's Office, also made use of technical assessments carried out by two consultants.
Investigators focused on the alleged responsibilities related to the lack of maintenance of the building complex and the failure to evict the occupants, a measure ordered years ago but never carried out.
The investigation, which saw close collaboration between the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office and the Court of Auditors of Campania, led to the hearing of about fifteen professionals and engineers from the Municipality of Naples and the subsidiary company "Napoli Servizi". At the moment, according to investigative sources, no public administrators are under investigation.
Municipal administrators out of investigation
The collapse of the Celestial Sailing has brought the spotlight back on the critical issues of the building heritage of Scampia, a neighborhood that is a symbol of the Neapolitan suburbs, and raised questions about institutional responsibilities in the management and safety of public buildings. The Prosecutor's Office continues to work to ascertain the dynamics of the disaster and identify any further responsibilities.
Article published on 28 February 2025 - 18:21
It's really sad that these things happen, especially in a place like Scampia that already has so many problems. Officials should be more careful about the safety and maintenance of public facilities, so that similar incidents don't happen.