The mayor of Messina Federico Basile signed the ordinance with which the city’s mourning is proclaimed for Wednesday 16 September 2026, on the occasion of the funeral of the brothers Carmelo, Rosa and Sara Leone and of Santino Magazzù, Rosa’s husband, which will be held at 10.30 am at the Basilica Cathedral of Messina. The provision, we read in a note from Palazzo Zanca, represents a demonstration of institutional closeness of the municipal administration to the families affected by the tragedy of the collapse of the building in via La Pira, in the Pistunina area, which occurred on 30 July 2026, an event that profoundly shook the entire city community.
On the occasion of the funeral rite, the Banner of the City of Messina, decorated in mourning, will participate in the ceremony as a sign of institutional participation. The flags will be displayed at half-mast at Palazzo Zanca and on all municipal buildings for the entire day. The suspension of all public events possibly scheduled in the time slot coinciding with the funeral is also ordered. The Mayor invites citizens, public offices, productive and commercial activities to observe a minute’s silence at 10.30 am, coinciding with the start of the funeral, as a sign of reflection and participation in the pain of the families. The invitation to join the city’s mourning, in the forms deemed most appropriate and in compliance with the institutional nature of the commemoration, is also extended to political, trade union, cultural, social and sporting organizations and to the world of associations.
This is not the first time that the municipal administration sympathizes with the pain of the families involved in the tragedy. Already last August 7, with union ordinance no. 137 of 6 August 2026, city mourning was proclaimed on the occasion of the funeral of Alessandra Frazzica, the first victim found after the collapse.