'At least 22 killed' in Genoa bridge collapse

 

Updated

A motorway bridge has collapsed near Genoa in north west Italy, killing at least 38 people.

A section of the Morandi Bridge on the A10 motorway collapsed on Tuesday morning. The BBC said that vehicles fell 90m to the ground. 

It said that video appears to show one of the towers holding up the suspension bridge collapsing in stormy weather and that vehicles and debris fell onto rail tracks.

One eyewitness said he saw lightning strike the bridge just after 11:30 local time, followed by a section of the bridge collapsing.

The BBC said the section that collapsed was dozens of metres in length, and ran across the span of the Polcevera river.

Another eyewitness told Italian public television that traffic was queuing on the bridge at the time.

The Guardian quoted the fire service as saying that about 20 vehicles, including cars and trucks, were on the affected section of the bridge.

An image posted by the regional emergency services shows a lorry at the very end of the surviving section of the bridge.

Transport minister Danilo Toninelli wrote on Twitter: ‘I am following with the utmost apprehension what has happened to #Genova and which seems to be an immense tragedy.’

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