Italy bridge: Genoa motorway collapse kills at least 22

Italy bridge: Genoa motorway collapse kills at least 22

Get news about Italy bridge: Genoa motorway collapse kills at least 22 Officials say that a motorway bridge has collapsed near north-western Italian Genoa, causing at least 90 meters (295 feet) of land and at least 22 people being killed.

The video footage appears to show one of the towers catching the suspension bridge falling into the storm season.

Vehicles fell with bridge debris on the rail tracks.

Transport Minister Danilo Toniniel spoke of "excessive tragedy" and France supported Italy.

Live updates on Genoa Bridge collapse

In pictures: Fatal Italy bridge collapse

Stock in Atlanta, the toll road operator who runs most of the country's motorways, fell 6.3% after the news of the collapse.

Genoa has been told, "It is not acceptable that such an important bridge ... was not built to avoid such a fall." The aforementioned Transport Minister Edouardo Rixi told Genoa.

French President Imanuel Macron has tweeted the message of sympathy to the people of Italy who write both in Italian and French. He said that France was ready to offer any necessary assistance.

How the structure fell?

During heavy rains it fell to around 11:30 local time (11:30 GMT). Police reported violent clouds.

Italy's Ansa News Agency said, "It was after 11:30 when we attacked the bridge with electricity." "And we saw that the bridge is going down."

At that time the traffic on the bridge was in line, a eyewitness told Italian public television.

According to an AFP photographer in the scene, cars and trucks were stranded in the rubble and adjacent buildings were damaged.

An image posted by Regional Emergency Services shows that a truck has been installed at the end of the live bridge segment just before the drop.

Regional emergency services say that rescue workers are working "on a large scale" in the scene.

How important is the bridge?

Built in the 1960s, Morandi Bridge stands on the A10 Toll Motorway, which serves Italian Riviera and southern coast of France.

The missing section was a dozen meters in length, and went during the Polsevara river.

The work was being done at the time of collapse to lay the foundation of the bridge, but the structure was constantly being monitored, Reuters told the motorway operator.