38 killed, dozens injured in Italy bridge collapse

GENOA, Italy: Italian rescuers searched through the night Wednesday for any survivors under the shattered remains of a motorway bridge in Genoa as investigators probed what could have caused such a catastrophic collapse.

Some 38 people were killed on Tuesday when a vast span of the Morandi bridge collapsed during a heavy rainstorm, sending vehicles and their drivers plunging 100-meters onto railway tracks below.

Rescuers spent the night searching the tangled remains of the

are fears the toll could rise in what the Italian government has called an “immense tragedy”.

The collapse came as the bridge was undergoing maintenance

where Genoa is situated, experienced torrential rainfall.

“Unfortunately there are around 30 dead and many injured in a serious condition,” Interior Minister Matteo Salvini told reporters.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said a “catastrophe” had hit Genoa and the whole of Italy, as attention turned to what might have caused the collapse and who might be ultimately responsible.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said “all infrastructure” across the country needed to be double-checked.

Rescuers scouring through the wreckage, strewn among shrubland and train tracks, said there were “dozens” of victims, as rescue helicopters winched survivors on stretchers from the ruined bridge.

Cars and trucks were tangled