14 August 2018
Italy bridge: Dozens feared dead in Genoa as motorway collapses
By BBC
A motorway bridge has collapsed in the northwest Italian city of Genoa and fire brigade sources say 35 people were believed killed as vehicles plummeted to the ground.
Dramatic video footage captured the moment of the disaster when one of the huge supporting towers crashed down during torrential rain.
Vehicles and debris fell 45m (148ft) on to rail tracks, buildings and a river.
Rescuers are trying to free people caught in crushed vehicles or rubble.
Fears that other parts of the bridge might fall have prompted the evacuation of buildings in the area, a rescuer told Italy's Ansa news agency.
Interior Minister Matteo Salvini promised that anyone found to be responsible for the bridge collapse would be held to account.
"I have crossed that bridge hundreds of times," he said. "Now, as an Italian citizen, I will do everything to get the names and surnames of the managers responsible, past and present, because it is unacceptable to die like that in Italy."
A representative of the motorway's operator, Autostrade, told Reuters news agency there had been "no reason to consider the bridge was dangerous".
Shares in Atlantia, Autostrade's parent company which runs much of the country's motorways, fell 6.3% after news of the collapse.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is due to visit the scene to support the search-and-rescue effort and show solidarity with the victims and their families, his office said.
How did the structure collapse?
It fell around 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) during heavy rain. Police reported a violent cloudburst.
"We saw lightning strike the bridge," eyewitness Pietro M all'Asa was quoted as saying by Ansa. "And we saw the bridge going down."
Engineers say it is too early to determine the cause of the collapse but that lightning is unlikely to be the reason.
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