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ROME, Aug. 18-- Thousands of people gathered in the northwest Italian city of Genoa on Saturday to mourn the victims of a dramatic bridge collapse that killed dozens of people earlier this week. After the state funeral, new emergency funding worth 28.47 million euros (32.49 million U.S. dollars) were approved to implement urgent interventions in the region. The state funeral was held in a pavilion of the city's Fair and Exhibition center at the presence of the country's top officials. It was broadcast live by all national TV networks in the country. Some 19 coffins covered by flowers were laid out for the state ceremony, while another 20 families of victims opted for private funerals in their hometowns. Near some of the coffins, relatives left everyday items to recall their loved ones, such as a child's soccer ball, or a beach umbrella. Among the victims were Italians from across the country, but also people from France, Albania, Romania, Colombia, Chile, and Peru, according to data by the prefecture. All of them were driving through Genoa's Morandi Bridge shortly before noon on Tuesday, when the mid-portion of the huge viaduct suddenly collapsed, sending dozens of vehicles plunging 45 meters to the ground. "The collapse of the Morandi Bridge has caused a gash in the heart of Genoa," the city's archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, who led the ceremony, said. "Genoa is in the gaze of the world, in a strong hug full of emotion and affection," he added, referring to the countless signs of solidarity received from across Italy and abroad. | 
