Road Bridge Collapses in Italy’s Genoa, Dozens Feared Dead

Road Bridge Collapses in Italy’s Genoa, Dozens Feared Dead

A 200-meter-long (656-foot) section of a road bridge collapsed in the city of Genoa in Northern Italy on Tuesday, causing at least 11 fatalities, according to local media reports.

There might be “dozens of dead” in the bridge collapse in Genoa, Italian news agency Adnkronos, citing local ambulance services.

The “Morandi” viaduct on the A10 highway in the west of the northern Italian port city of Genoa collapsed just before midday (1000 GMT), The Local Italy reported.

With emergency services were pulling people out from under the rubble, Italy’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli said he feared the collapse of the Genoa road bridge could be an “immense tragedy”.

“I’m following with the utmost apprehension what is happening in Genoa and what looks like it could be an immense tragedy,” Toninelli said on Twitter.

“We are following minute-by-minute the situation of the bridge collapse in Genoa,” tweeted Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who is in charge of the police and fire service.

He announced that over 200 fire fighters had been deployed to the cite, and reports said one person was pulled out of the rubble alive.

According to a fire service spokesperson cited by AFP, the bridge had mostly collapsed on railway tracks 100 meters (110 yards) below, taking “cars and trucks” with it.

Because of the rugged terrain of Genoa, which is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains in Northwest Italy, highways running through its urban area include long viaducts and tunnels.

Genoa’s collapsed Morandi road bridge was built in the 1960s as part of the A10 toll highway, and was revamped in 2016. It connects the A10 highway towards France and the A7 highway that runs northwards towards Milan.

According to the local police, the bridge collapse occurred during torrential rain and a severe storm.

A witness cited by Italian broadcaster SkyTG24 said that at least eight or nine vehicles were crushed under the collapsed bridge on Italy’s A10 highway describing what he saw as an apocalyptic scene.”

The Genoa road bridge collapse incident has occurred on the eve of a major Italian holiday, Ferragosto, meaning that traffic would likely have been busier than usual.

(Banner image: Italian Police)

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