At least 35 die as vehicles plunge 150ft in Italian bridge disaster
A MINISTER SAID if anyone was responsible for errors which led to a bridge collapsing killing at least 35 people then they must face the consequences.
Transport minister Danilo Toninelli was speaking after a bridge on a main road linking Italy with France collapsed in Genoa during a storm. The collapse sent vehicles plunging nearly 150ft into a heap of rubble below.
The huge section of the Morandi Bridge collapsed over an industrial zone in the north-west Italian port city, sending tonnes of twisted steel and concrete debris onto warehouses below.
Mr Toninelli said the collapse of the bridge was “unacceptable”, and added that if negligence played a role, then “whoever made a mistake must pay”.
He said the company which had the concession to operate the section of highway including the bridge said that no maintenance work was under way at the time of the collapse and that maintenance work was up-todate. However, Mr Toninelli added they were about to launch a €20m (£17.8m) bidding process for significant safety work on the bridge.
Mr Toninelli added “there has not been sufficient maintenance and checks, and safety work for many bridges and viaducts and bridges in Italy constructed, almost all, during the 1960s”.
An official at Italy’s civil protection agency confirmed the death toll stood at 20 last night, with another 16 people hurt. Other reports said 35 had died.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Theresa May responded by saying: “My thoughts are with the people of Italy following the terrible collapse in Genoa of the Morandi Bridge.
“The UK stands alongside our Italian friends and allies following this tragic event.”
Luigi D’Angelo warned that the figure could climb, as 10 of the 16 are critically ill.
The head of intensive care at the San Martino hospital in Genoa, Angelo Gratarola, told Sky TG24 that the injuries include multiple traumas.
Officials said earlier that between 30 and 35 cars and three heavy trucks were caught up as a 260ft stretch of the bridge collapsed.
Highway engineers are checking the safety of the bridge at other points, and some areas are being evacuated as a precaution.
Video captured the sound of a man screaming: “Oh God! Oh, God!” Other images showed a green truck which stopped just short of the gaping hole in the bridge, and the tyres of a tractor among the rubble.
Firefighters said they were worried about gas pipes exploding in the area as a result of the collapse.
The ANSA news agency said authorities suspected a weakness had caused the collapse, although there was no explanation for what had happened. Some reports claimed that the structure was hit by lighting just before the collapse
Interior minister Matteo Salvini said some 200 firefighters were at the accident. He said: “We are following minute by minute the situation.”