(ANSA) Bologna, October 14 - Part of the roof of the nearly
four-km-long monumental portico leading to Bologna's
17th-century Basilica of St Luke - the longest portico in the
world - collapsed overnight Tuesday due to a battering by a
violent storm that hit the Emilian capital, church officials
said.
The damage from the elements was in the last section of the
portico near the sanctuary. A hole appeared in the roof and
tiles tumbled onto a vault underneath which bore their weight.
Firefighters and local police raced to the scene and
assessed the damage before cordoning off the area.
The dean of the basilica, Monsignor Arturo Testi, said city
authorities already had been warned that the portico, was at
risk and requiring restoration, for which a collection of funds
has been under way for some time.
"It was a disaster waiting to happen," he said.
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