FEARS FOR MISSING AS ROAD BRIDGE IN ITALY COLLAPSES
▶ Witnesses report seeing lightning strike the Morandi Bridge in Genoa as the death toll climbs to at least 35
At least 35 people, including a child, were killed and many were missing after a bridge connecting a motorway to the Italian port city of Genoa collapsed yesterday during heavy storms.
Genoa mayor Marco Bucci told Sky TG24 that the number of dead was 35, although rescue services feared the number will be higher.
Eleven people were pulled from the rubble.
Sergio Caglieris, director of the 112 emergency service, said the child was believed to be about 10 years old.
The bridge, designed by the architect Riccardo Morandi, was praised for its use of reinforced concrete and suspension cables when it was opened in the 1960s. Witnesses who spoke to the Italian national news agency Ansa said they saw “lightning strike the bridge” supports just before the collapse.
“It was shortly before 11.30am [1.30pm UAE] when we saw lightning hit the bridge,” a witness said. “Then we saw the bridge go down.”
Images shared by firefighters showed lorries and cars trapped beneath the Morandi Bridge, a section of the A10 motorway that stretches over the Polcevera river.
Earlier, emergency services on the scene reported several casualties.
“There are tens of victims among those who fell into the void and those who are stuck under the rubble,” Francesco Bermano, director of the 118 rescue service in Genoa, told the Italian news agency Adnkronos.
Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli tweeted that he “feared an immense tragedy” after the collapse.
“I am following with utter apprehension the developments in Genoa,” he said. “We are in touch with the highway authorities and we are on our way to the location together with vice-minister [Edoardo] Rixi.”
Hours later, 35 vehicles and three lorries were still under the rubble, according to the Civil Protection agency.
Interior Minister Matteo Salvini thanked the rescuers for their efforts.
“We are following the situation of the Genoa bridge collapse minute by minute. I thank the 200 firefighters (and all the other heroes) who are already working to save lives,” he wrote in a tweet.
The minister appeared to blame austerity for allowing the bridge to degrade over decades.
Mr Salvini, whose League party is strongly Eurosceptic, hinted at political repercussions to follow the tragedy. “We should ask ourselves whether respecting budget limits is more important than the safety of Italian citizens. For me it is not.”
Decrepit or not, the cause of the bridge collapse was the bad weather. The coastal region of Liguria was hit by strong rains in the past days that prompted the Civil Protection to raise the alarm. The collapse of the bridge, opened in 1967 and subject to a series of renovations, is thought to have been caused by structural weaknesses.
Italian authorities said about 10 vehicles were on the motorway when it collapsed.
Sky TG24 reported that firefighters had concerns about gas lines.
The bridge partly collapsed on a section of the Amiu Centre, where the offices of Genoa’s municipal environmental company are located.
A section of the compound was destroyed and two lorries were trapped under the rubble. No casualties were reported by firefighters on site.
One of the main factories for the production of energy, Ansaldo Energia, was spared from the collapse.
Debris fell a few metres from its main entrance, where the car park is located, Ansa reported.
Police on Twitter said the collapse occurred during a sudden violent storm, while firefighters said vehicles were involved, indicating the likelihood of fatalities.
Photos published by the Ansa news agency on its website showed a gulf between two sections of the motorway.
Other images showed a green lorry that had stopped metres short of the gap in the bridge.
A Sicilian driver spoke of the harrowing moments as the collapse unfolded.
“I was driving on the bridge, at one point I saw the road in front of me collapse. I think my car got stuck to a pole and this is why I didn’t fall into the abyss,” he said. “When I managed to get out of the car, I went towards the rescuers. It was an apocalypse.”
The driver said it was a miracle to be alive to tell the story. “It is unthinkable that something like this can happen on one of Italy’s busiest roads,” he said.
It is unthinkable that something like this can happen on one of Italy’s busiest roads DRIVER Morandi Bridge