During the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, large-scale security measures will be implemented: from patrolling the streets by three thousand law enforcement officers to aerial surveillance using drones and sniper watch. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
According to a source, about two thousand local police officers and a thousand officers of national security forces are preparing to be involved in the protection of the Pope's burial ceremony, which will be attended by fifty world leaders and dozens of ministers. The streets around the Vatican will be closed to traffic on Saturday.
"Security measures will include patrols on the Tiber, drones, an army device to neutralize enemy flying objects and snipers," a police source told Reuters.
It is expected that about 200,000 people, including high-ranking officials, will attend the Pope's funeral in total. This will create a kind of challenge for the city authorities.
"The most difficult aspect is the arrival of many high-ranking people from all over the world who will gather in Rome to go to one point," said Roberto Massucci, head of the Roman police.
In addition, most delegations will go to Rome on their own planes, which will create an additional problem for the authorities of the Italian capital. The fact is that on April 21, the day of the death of the Pope, flights over Rome will be prohibited.
According to the publication, the head of the Roman police said that instead of the two city airports of Fiumicino and Ciampino, the military airport of Pratica di Mare, south of Rome, will be used if necessary.
"Some delegations will want to stay in Rome for a while, others, the vast majority of whom we are currently registering, will leave immediately after the funeral," said Fabio Ciciliano, head of the national civil protection department, emphasizing the complexity of processing such a number of arrivals and departures.
"The national railway company will also add about 260,000 seats to its trains to the capital," the Civil Protection Department told Reuters.
Earlier
UNN wrote that more than 100 delegations from all over the world are arriving in Rome, the Italian capital, to pay tribute to the deceased Pope Francis. The official presence of 10 members of royal families, 50 heads of state, as well as numerous ministers and ambassadors from various countries has been confirmed. The pontiff's funeral is scheduled for Saturday morning.