Genoa bridge collapse: Desperate search for survivors as 35 people, including a child, feared dead after Italian motorway crumbles

Fiona Simpson14 August 2018

A desperate search is underway for survivors after a motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa leaving 35 people, including a child, feared dead.

Horrifying footage showed an 80m swathe of the Morandi Bridge , in the northwest Italian city, plunge 90m onto a road, railway tracks, buildings and a river below.

The disaster, described as an “enormous tragedy” by Italy's transport minister Danilo Toninelli, was caught in shocking footage.

One man can be heard screaming “oh my god, oh my god” as the bridge crumbles amid torrential rain with some witnesses claiming it was struck by lightning.

An injured person is pulled from the rubble
AFP/Getty Images

Devastating images showed concrete slabs on the roofs of factories and buildings while helicopter footage showed the horrific aftermath of the tragedy.

One poignant photograph showed a green lorry stopped just short of the point of collapse while further video showed injured victims being airlifted from the scene

Crushed cars and trucks sit among debris
AFP/Getty Images

Almost 300 rescuer workers are sifting through rubble in search of survivors after at least 10 cars plummeted from the bridge around 11.30am local time (9.30am UK time) today.

Between 30 and 35 cars and three heavy trucks were involved in the tragedy including those crushed by huge slabs of falling concrete, officials said.

Italian media reported that 35 people are feared dead with at least 20 fatalities confirmed by the Italian Civil Protection Agency.

A green lorry stopped just short of point collapse
Reuters

There was initial confusion over the exact death toll. The head of Italy's civil protection agency, Angelo Borrelli, told reporters at a news conference in Rome that the collapse left 20 people dead and 13 injured.

He said all the victims appeared to have been in vehicles which plunged from the bridge

Reuters

Earlier, an Italian transport official, Edoardo Rixi, had said that 22 people were killed and eight others were hurt in the collapse.

Officials confirmed that a child was among the dead.

Firefighters said two people were pulled alive from vehicles in the debris and taken to hospital by helicopter.

Aerial footage shows the devastating aftermath of the collapse 
AP

The major road connects Italy to France, and links northern cities like Milan to the beaches of Liguria.

The collapse comes as Italian families hit the roads on the eve of a major Italian holiday called Ferragosto, which marks the religious feast of the Assumption of Mary.

The day marks the high point of the country's summer holiday season when most cities and businesses are closed and Italians head to the beaches or the mountains

Genoa Bridge Collapse - In pictures

1/40

The Morandi Bridge is a main thoroughfare connecting the A10 highway that heads for France and the A7 route that continues north towards Milan. Inaugurated in 1967, it is 148ft high, and around half a mile long.

Areas surrounding the bridge continue to be evacuated amid fears broken gas pipes could spark explosions.

The collapse of the bridge comes eight days after another major accident on an Italian highway, near the northern city of Bologna.

A tanker truck carrying a highly flammable gas exploded after rear-ending a stopped truck on the road before it was hit from behind itself. The accident killed one person, injured dozens and blew apart a section of a raised eight-lane highway.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT