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A container ship lost control and destroyed massive concrete and glass control tower overlooking Genoa, Italy's busiest port, on Tuesday evening, killing three people while another four were taken to the hospital for treatment and a few more are still missing. Two of the people injured were in critical condition. It's believed there were 14 people inside the tower when the crash took place.

According to the head of the Genoa Port authority, Luigi Merlo, The Jolly Nero was being towed out of port under "perfect" conditions when it collided with the watch tower and sent it crumbling to the ground. "It's very difficult to explain how this could have happened because the ship should not have been where it was," Merlo told a local Genoa newspaper. The Jolly Nero captain told the same paper two of the ship's engines failed and "we lost control of the ship." The video showing the aftermath of the tower collapse is terrifying: 

The investigation into what happened has already begun. The ship has been impounded and the captain is being investigated for manslaughter. Genoa is Italy's most trafficked business port and averages about 14 accidents per year. But this accident is much worse than the usual fare. "We are all utterly shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before, we are desperate," Jolly Nero owner Stefano Messina told journalists when he arrived at the port. 

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
