Italy will make school safety a top national priority and invest more funds in building maintenance after a deadly weekend accident at a high school near Turin, the education minister said Monday.
Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini promised to direct more funds to building maintenance after the ceiling of a high school near Turin, in northwestern Italy, collapsed, killing a teenager and injuring 20 other students Saturday, Italian News Agency ANSA reported.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation. There had been strong winds at the time of the collapse but local firefighters said the gusts were not to blame for the mishap.
The most likely explanation is linked to the school's old brick structure. Investigators said the ceiling probably collapsed due to the weight of a discarded metal tube under the roof.
The school building, like many in Italy, was in poor condition and needed renovations.
Italy's main daily, "Il Corriere della Sera," said the country faces a serious emergency because of a lack of funds for the upkeep of public buildings. Most university and school buildings face a risk of falling apart, the newspaper said
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who called the accident "a dramatic fatality," promised to launch a nation-wide monitoring of all school buildings to prevent similar events in the future.
Opposition parties attacked government school policies, saying more funds should be invested in building safety.
Source: Xinhua
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