"The Leaning Tower" of Garisenda in Italy Could Collapse Any Second

The globally renowned "Leaning Tower" of Garisenda, standing in Bologna, Italy for nearly a thousand years, may fall at any moment. The city authorities have already planned preventive measures to minimize the consequences of the historic tower's potential collapse.

This was reported by CNN, citing the monitoring commission's report provided to the publisher. 

Currently, the authorities of Bologna, Italy, plan to install a metal fence to "contain  debris resulting from a possible collapse, to reduce the vulnerability of surrounding buildings and the exposure to the population, as well as blocking access to the off-limits area."

Additionally, the report notes that the fence will be securely fastened and equipped with a specially designed metal mesh to protect against potential stone fall.

The monitoring report on the "Leaning Tower" of Garisenda, conducted by a scientific committee since 2019, states that the object has been moved to "increased readiness," and experts believe there are no longer safe conditions for work on or around the tower, except in cases provided by the civil defense plan.

In the last few months, the monitoring commission has identified an "unexpected and accelerated trend of fragmentation," gradual stone deterioration used in the tower's facade work, and the expansion of cracks in the brick.

At the same time, commission members emphasize that the tower is not on the verge of "immediate collapse." However, for safety, they act as if prepared for the worst-case scenario. According to a commission member, preventive measures are currently at a "yellow," not "red" alert level, where the building collapse is inevitable.

"We’re acting as if it’s about to collapse, but nobody knows when that could be – it could be three months, 10 years, or 20 years. If there was an imminent risk of collapse we’d evacuate everyone," said a representative of the monitoring mission in an interview with CNN.

He also emphasized that the monitoring equipment transmits data every 15 minutes, meaning the commission will receive warnings about a collapse and have the ability to evacuate the surrounding area.

Garisenda, a famous 48-meter tower built in the 12th century, is currently leaning at an angle of four degrees, just slightly more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

It's worth noting that earlier this year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee added the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, to the list of objects at risk of destruction due to Russia's regular attacks on historical monuments in Ukraine. St. Sophia Cathedral, built between 1011 and 1018, is one of the few well-preserved monuments in Europe.