Bridge collapses in Italy during heavy storm, dozens dead

Officials said the death toll could climb further. Pic/AFP

At least 35 people were killed when a giant motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa, with several more feared dead in what Italy's transport minister described as an "immense tragedy".

The collapse, which saw a vast stretch of the A10 freeway tumble on to railway lines in the northern port city, was the deadliest bridge failure in Italy for years, and the country's deputy transport minister warned the death toll could climb further.

"Unfortunately I can confirm that 35 are dead, and it's a number that's likely to rise," Edoardo Rixi said. Rescuers scouring through the wreckage said there were "tens of victims", while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged to the ground. Cars and trucks were trapped in the rubble and nearby buildings damaged by vast chunks of concrete. Italian media reported that 200 metres of the "Morandi" bridge, completed in 1967, had fallen away.

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