GENOA - As family and friends flood into the Genoa hospital morgue, the post-mortem identification is taking place despite many of the bodies being unrecognisable, confirm investigators.

Among those so far identified is a family from Campomorone; Ersilia and Roberto with their 8-year-old son, Samuele. They were looking forward to their holiday in Sardinia, heading towards the ferry. A parasol and a beach ball were recovered from their car.

This family was one of many who were packed up and driving towards Ferragosto celebrations. Four friends from Torre del Greco were heading for Spain – they were supposed to have taken the plane but last minute they changed their minds and took the car. Facebook posts from friends and family remember Matteo Bentornati, Giovanni Battiloro, Gerardo Esposito and Antonio Stanzione.

Those who were simply on their way to another day at work were to meet the same tragic end. Bruno Casagrande and Mirko Vicini, found buried deep under a mountain of asphalt and cement, were employees of Amiu, a local environmental company. That fatal day their job was on the ecological island right below the Morandi bridge.

Another worker and father-of-two, Gennaro Sarnataro, aged 43 from Naples, was on his way back from France after delivering fruit and vegetables for the delivery company he worked for.

A young Albanian man, Marius Djerri just 22 years of age, and his colleague Edy Bokrina (also Albanian) were driving in their EuroPulizia company van, on their way to a cleaning job nearby, in Rapallo.

Amongst the youngest victims were a couple returning from their holiday: Stella Boccia, 24, and her boyfriend Carlos Jesus Triullo, 23. Another couple went under with them: Marta Danisi, a 29-year-old nurse from Sant’Agata di Militello was driving with her fiancé Alberto Fanfani, 32, who worked as an anaesthetist at the Cisanello di Pisa hospital. Their wedding was planned for next year.

Many are still reported as missing, but hopes of finding people alive in the rubble are in vain. A family from Oleggio are yet to be found: Cristian Cecala was driving with his wife Dawna and their 9-year-old daughter Kristal: “They were on that road, heading towards Elba island but they never got there. They were supposed to get on the ferry in Livorno at 5pm,” was the testimony of Cristian’s brother.

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