3 Mar 2014

Urgent meeting called over Pompeii collapse

10:09 pm on 3 March 2014

The Italian government has called for an emergency meeting to discuss how to save the ancient city of Pompeii from further ruin, following fresh collapses at the weekend.

The Culture Minister has asked officials to explain why a tomb wall and part of an arch fell down after heavy rain. Several other features have collapsed over the past three months.

Archaeologists, commentators and opposition politicians accuse the government of neglect and mismanagement of the site, the BBC reports.

Pompeii was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2000 years ago. The site was accorded world heritage status by Unesco in 1997.