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Heavy rains cause wall and arch collapse in Pompeii

Deterioration in state of ancient Roman site described as “dramatic”.

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A collapsed wall from the Porta Nocera doorway in Pompeii yesterday. Image: Salvatore La Porta/AP/PA Images.

THE TEMPLE OF Venus and walls of a tomb and shop in the long-neglected ruins of Pompeii near Naples have been damaged, possibly due to heavy rain, officials said today.

Custodians found that a two-metre wall of an ancient shop in the ruined city – which had recently been restored – had collapsed under the weight of another wall that crumbled onto it.

It followed the discovery yesterday that parts of an archway in the temple had fallen off and a wall in the necropolis – the biggest in the ancient Roman city – had tumbled down.

The areas affected have been closed the public.

Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini has called a meeting this week to assess the damage and progress made in an EU-backed project to restore the archaeological site.

“The news of these collapses comes at a time in which there is an unprecedented vacuum in the management of Pompeii,” said Antonio Irlando from the Cultural Heritage Observatory, a non-governmental group that follows work on Pompeii.

“For every collapse that is reported, there are another nine that do not make news,” he said, calling the state of the ancient site “dramatic”.

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The Temple of Venus, already being held up by some scaffolding, suffered damage too. Image: Salvatore La Porta/AP/PA Images.

Conservation workers last year began a €105 million makeover of the UNESCO World Heritage landmark, funded by the European Union to the tune of €41.8 million.

Officials last month reported the completion of the first project under the plan – the restoration of the frescoed House of the Cryptoporticus – but the project has been badly delayed by bureaucracy.

The project is seen as crucial to the survival of Pompeii after a series of collapses at the 44-hectare site in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius – the volcano that destroyed the city in 79 AD.

Photos: Exhibition examines daily lives destroyed by Vesuvius>
Work (finally) begins on Pompeii’s €105 million makeover>

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Dec 13th 2012, 11:48 AM

    Do these surveys not take into account the big bills? Such as gas, oil, petrol or electricity.
    They are the bills that keep me in the red and they are not going down!

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Dec 13th 2012, 11:48 AM

    And mortgage bill too! Doh..

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    Mute Seán O' Dulaing
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    Dec 13th 2012, 4:38 PM

    The CPI is down 0.4% for prices in November however we are still 0.8% above what prices were at this point last year. Here’s the full report.

    http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/latestheadlinefigures/cpi_nov2012.pdf

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    Mute ManOnTheStreet
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    Dec 13th 2012, 6:42 PM

    Cheers Sean.
    The cost of housing, heating, electricity and other fuels have risen.
    I don’t really care if a bag of apples went down by 5cent when my gas bill is higher than I ever remember.

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    Mute john fox
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    Dec 13th 2012, 11:54 AM

    its not going down people are spending less because thy don’t have it. end of.

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    Mute Jerry
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    Dec 13th 2012, 11:59 AM

    Cost of living going down WHERE

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    Mute John Murphy
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    Dec 13th 2012, 11:55 AM

    Wages going south aswell with increased prsi…

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    Mute Martin Mac
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:08 PM

    Wait until the property tax hits in!!!!…I cant believe people are moaning about a €10 a month for some kids allownace….ITS THE PROPERTY TAX WHICH IS GOING TO DO THE MOST DAMAGE TO FAMILIES….WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! AND START TO PROTEST THIS UNJUST TAX!!…you are going to get hit with more tax in water charges as well… & pretty soon they will own YOU and your FAMILY and your HOUSE if you dont do anything about it….WAKE UP!!

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    Mute Bunny Johnson
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    Dec 13th 2012, 1:41 PM

    Nope children’s allowance is bigger for me. 3 kids means €38 per month or 450 odd a year. That’s on top of the 480 I lost last year.

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    Mute Bunny Johnson
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    Dec 13th 2012, 1:42 PM

    Actually the prsi change is costing nearly as much as the property tax (avg figure).

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    Mute Pierce2020
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:00 PM

    The price of tobacco fell by 20% on Moore street last year

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    Mute john fox
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:06 PM

    black market fags
    55 euro for 200
    Irish 98euro for 200

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    Mute Thomas Mc Grory
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:19 PM

    Has the Author of this article been asleep for the past six years??

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    Mute Dermot Purcell
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:47 PM

    Thomas these people are not asleep its called deception they keep telling you that it is raining while they p—- all over yuo

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:57 PM

    No, the author of this article has not been asleep for the last six years. (Though, on average, I’d say if you added it up I’ve been asleep for a little under two years out of the last six.)

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    Mute Steo Burke
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:07 PM

    Rubbish

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    Mute Mary Mc Carthy
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    Dec 13th 2012, 2:56 PM

    I must be living in another country ! Every time I go to the shops for food there are price increases abet for only a few cents at a time . But added up on a lot of products this all adds up ! There are of course ‘special offers’ but in my experience the cut of these prices is added to different products around the store !

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    Mute Michael O'Reilly
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    Dec 13th 2012, 2:32 PM

    I don’t know what the idiots who did this survey are living on – fresh air? I wasn’t asked…no way has the cost gone down!?!?

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    Mute John o' Reardon
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    Dec 13th 2012, 12:24 PM

    Leave it out!!!!!!

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    Mute Andrew Telford
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    Dec 13th 2012, 2:34 PM

    Highest purchasing power… That means given our net tax income and cost of living we are materially better off than all of Europe excluding Luxembourg and the Netherlands… Interesting and no wonder they’re annoyed with this constant whining how we are squeezed to the limit….we must seem like a nation of hypocrites.

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    Mute Derek Richardson
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    Dec 13th 2012, 10:30 PM

    the cost of living has gone down and diminished to an all time low in this generations time

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