Storm collapses Bologna basilica portico

(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.