Photo taken on Aug. 14, 2018 shows a partially collapsed bridge in Genoa, Italy. At least 22 people died in the collapse of a major motorway bridge in the northwest Italian city of Genoa on Tuesday. (Xinhua)
At least 20 people died in the collapse of a major motorway bridge in the northwest Italian city of Genoa on Tuesday, civil protection officials said.
But some local media cited the Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, reporting that 22 were killed in the collapse.
The incident concerned a viaduct called "Morandi Bridge", connecting the highway A10 to the western part of the city, near a populous neighborhood called Sampierdarena.
"We are all hoping the victims will be fewer than these devastating images seem to envisage," Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Danilo Toninelli told RAI TG1 public broadcaster.
He went on to promise that "this ministry and this government will invest in ordinary infrastructure maintenance, including the placement of sensors on our nation's bridges, many of which were built in the 1950s and 60s."
On Twitter, Toninelli called the collapse "an immense tragedy", as did the president of the Liguria region where Genoa is located, Giovanni Toti.
Televised images showed rescuers including firefighters, police, civil protection, army personnel and canine units trying to rescue people out of the rubble of the heavily trafficked bridge, which reportedly crushed a number of buildings and cars below it.
"We are following the situation of the Genoa bridge collapse situation minute by minute," tweeted Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who thanked the "200 firefighters (and all the other heroes) who are working to save lives."
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will travel to the stricken northern city later Tuesday, ANSA news agency reported, citing sources within the prime minister's office.
At least 12 people were injured overall, and none of them immediately appeared in life-threatening conditions, according to 118 Emergency Service local chief Francesco Bermano.
The collapse occurred shortly before 12 a.m. local time. Some two hours after the incident, at least three people were rescued alive from the debris of the cars involved, a firefighter coordinator told RAI News.
Built in the 1960s, the Morandi Bridge is a major connection for the port city of Genoa. The collapse affected a bridge portion of about 100 meters, and might be due to a structural failure, Ansa news agency reported citing civil protection and firefighter sources.
