11 injured in fight over Italian dump site

NAPLES, Italy, May 24 (UPI) -- Eight police officers and three other individuals were injured in an ongoing conflict over a proposed trash dump near Naples, Italy, authorities say.

Italian authorities said Saturday the growing conflict in the suburb of Chiaiano produced a new spate of injuries, including two police officers hurt while trying to move a bus protesters had used to barricade the dump site, the BBC said.

The conflict began when a stone quarry in the Naples suburb was tabbed for a new trash dump, a decision Chiaiano residents opposed.

The BBC said a build-up of trash has taken place in Naples and other neighboring towns this year, creating a health hazard and increasing the need for a new dump.

The trash crisis has gained the attention of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who said this week that tough measures were needed to deal with the problem.

Cardinal Renato Martino of the Vatican has opposed the Chiaiano dump plans, saying the creation of a trash dump in a densely populated area would only create additional problems.