Bridge collapses in Italy during heavy rains; dozens feared dead

A motorway bridge collapsed on Tuesday over the northern Italian port city of Genoa, killing dozens of people according to the local ambulance service, in what the transport minister said was likely to be “an immense tragedy”.

A section of the bridge crashed down from a height of about 50 metres over a river and some railroad tracks and buildings. It collapsed at about 11:30 a.m during torrential rainfall, the local fire brigade said.

The head of the ambulance service said there were “dozens of dead”, according to Italian news agency Adnkronos. At least 10 people were killed and 20 vehicles were involved, local police sources said.

Helicopter footage on social media showed trucks and cars stranded on either side of the roughly 80-metre long collapsed section of the bridge, which was built on the A10 toll motorway in the 1960s.

An ambulance official told Reuters the service could only confirm two injured people so far, “but we suppose there are unfortunately a lot 

of dead.” Restructuring work on the bridge, which was 1.2 km long in total, was carried out in 2016. The highway operator said work to shore up the foundation of the bridge was being carried out at the time of the collapse, adding that the bridge was constantly monitored.
REUTERS, 
14th AUGUST, 2018