Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli
is to blame for Sunday's near-accident by a cruise ship that
veered dangerously close to Venice buildings and narrowly missed
a yacht just after passing St Mark's Square amid a gale-swept
hailstorm in the lagoon city, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said Monday.
"The biggest responsibility for what happened yesterday is
and for what may happen in the future is on the part of he who
did not take a decision in the last few months," Brugnaro said
referring to Toninelli's failure to ban the huge liners that
play the waters very close to Venice.
There will be a summit of Venice prosecutors and the harbour
master's office later Monday over the incident involving the
Costa Crociere ship, sources said earlier.
As a formality, prosecutor Andrea Pedroni will open a probe
against person or persons unknown, judicial sources said.
The centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) called
Toninelli "the minister of disasters who has paralysed one of
the most strategic ministries for the country's growth".
PD Senator Andrea Ferrazzi, PD leader on the House
environment committee, said "a disaster was averted by a hairs'
breadth yesterday".
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