Second collapse at Poggioreale cemetery this year.

Naples authorities have sealed off the Poggioreale cemetery after the collapse of a four-storey wall in the graveyard left at least a dozen coffins hanging precariously from a considerable height.

There were no visitors in the cemetery at the time of the collapse which occurred near Porta Balestrieri, next to the new crematorium, at lunchtime on Monday.

Local residents have blamed the collapse on subway works taking place near the cemetery, according to Italian news reports.

In January some 300 burial niches were destroyed in structural collapses in another area of the cemetery, currently the subject of an investigation.

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The latest collapse comes two weeks before All Souls' Day, a Catholic tradition of mourning the dearly departed and a particularly important day in Italy when people gather to visit family graves.

Photos ANSA