Two killed as walkway collapses at Italy’s notorious ‘Gomorrah’ slum

Two people were killed and at least 13 injured Tuesday when an elevated walkway collapsed in a condemned Italian slum notorious for its links to organized criminal groups.

The Italian Fire Brigade said a 29-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman were killed in the collapse at the Le Vele housing slum in the Neapolitan suburb of Scampia.

More than 800 people were living as squatters in the apartment complex at the time, including 300 children, according to the fire brigade. All have been evacuated to tent camps set up by the country’s civil protection agency.

The complex was made famous in Roberto Saviano’s “Gomorrah” book, film and television series, which detailed the exploits of the Camorra, a powerful Neapolitan mafia-like group.

Several criminal groups tied to the Camorra operated out of the apartments and wings, many of which were protected behind heavy fencing and bullet-proof glass, according to local police who regularly raided the buildings. It was also notorious as a venue for drug deals.

The housing complex, built in the 1970s and 1980s, originally consisted of four apartment buildings shaped like sails (“vele”) joined by elevated walkways. But in 2020 regional authorities ordered the site to be cleared and razed. Since then, three of the buildings have been demolished and only one now remains.

The cause of the collapse at that one remaining building is not yet clear, but the structure has been condemned for years and amenities like running water, electricity and gas are all brought in illegally.

In recent years, the complex has been inhabited by people who lost their homes during a devastating earthquake in 1980 that killed nearly 2,500 people and left 250,000 homeless. Many of those people moved to the complex while waiting for new homes promised by the national government that never materialized.

After the order to clear the complex in 2020, the local municipality launched a redevelopment project to house those still living at La Vele. That project is still ongoing but remains unfinished.

Naples mayor Gaetano Manfredi expressed his condolences to those affected by the collapse and offered assistance to those who still live there.

“Now is the time to think about the victims – but I want to reiterate that our redevelopment project will not stop and our commitment to Scampia will be even stronger than before,” Manfredi said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed sadness at the news.

“In this hour of pain, my condolences go to the victims’ families together with a thought of closeness for the wounded and their loved ones,” she wrote on social media. She also thanked emergency services for their help.