Wall section collapses in Pompeii after heavy rain

MILAN (AP) -- The Italian news agency ANSA says a wall at the Pompeii archeological site has collapsed following days of heavy rain.

The collapse Friday of a two-meter (six-foot) section of wall in an area closed to tourists is the latest in a series that has raised concern about the state of the cultural treasure. In 2010, a 2,000-year-old house collapsed in the ancient Roman city that was once used by gladiators to train before combat.

The Italian government and the European Commission last spring announced a project to spend (euro) 105 million ($136 million) to secure the Pompeii site.

Some 3 million people each year visit the ancient city south of Naples that was destroyed in A.D. 79 by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius.