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| Genoa bridge collapses in violent Italian storm | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A motorway bridge has collapsed in the northern Italian city of Genoa in what the transport minister said was likely to be “an immense tragedy”. | A motorway bridge has collapsed in the northern Italian city of Genoa in what the transport minister said was likely to be “an immense tragedy”. |
| An 80-metre section of the Morandi Bridge on the A10 motorway came down in an industrial area of the port city during a sudden and violent storm at about 11.30am (0930 GMT), trapping cars and trucks under the rubble. | |
| At least 11 people were confirmed dead and 12 injured, the ANSA news agency reported, citing the interior ministry. The head of the local ambulance service said there were “dozens of dead”, according to unconfirmed reports by the Italian news agency Adnkronos. A local news website, Il Secolo XIX, reported at least 20 victims, and said more people could be buried in the rubble. | |
| A fire service spokesperson told Agence France-Presse that the bridge had mostly fallen on rail tracks 100 metres below and that “cars and trucks” had fallen with the rubble. A witness told Sky Italia television he saw “eight or nine” vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he said was an “apocalyptic scene”. | |
| “I saw people running towards me, barefoot and terrified,” Alberto Lercari, a bus driver, told Corriere della Sera. “I heard a roar. People ran away coming towards me. It was horrible,” he said. | |
| “The debris landed about 20 metres from my car,” Davide Ricci, who was travelling towards the south, told La Stampa. “First the central pillar crumbled, and then everything else came down.” | |
| The transport minister, Danilo Toninelli, said in a tweet that he was “following with great apprehension what seems like an immense tragedy”. | The transport minister, Danilo Toninelli, said in a tweet that he was “following with great apprehension what seems like an immense tragedy”. |
| The disaster occurred on a major road that connects Italy to France and vacation resorts, and traffic would have been heavier than usual as many Italians traveled to beaches or mountains on the eve of a major Italian holiday, Ferragosto. | |
| Genoa is located between the sea and the mountains of north-west Italy. Its rugged terrain means motorways run through the city and the surrounding area via long viaducts and tunnels. | Genoa is located between the sea and the mountains of north-west Italy. Its rugged terrain means motorways run through the city and the surrounding area via long viaducts and tunnels. |
| The Morandi Bridge, which was inaugurated in 1967, is 90 metres high, and just over 1km long. | The Morandi Bridge, which was inaugurated in 1967, is 90 metres high, and just over 1km long. |
| Restructuring work on the bridge 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. | |
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