MILAN — A raised highway partially collapsed in the northern Italian port city of Genoa on Tuesday, leaving an unknown number of people trapped under rubble. There was no immediate confirmation of deaths or injuries, but Italian media said rescuers were digging through the rubble to try and find people in cars that fell through the collapsed section.
Some news agencies reported multiple deaths, but while Italy’s government Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said the collapse appeared to be “an immense tragedy,” he did not immediately confirm any casualties.
Italian news agency ANSA said authorities suspected that a structural weakness caused the collapse. Italian media said the portion of highway that collapsed was about 200 yards long. Images tweeted by Italian police showed the highway through the city with a large section missing. ANSA reported that at least two people were pulled from the rubble alive. Their conditions were not known.
French news agency AFP said it was a portion of the five-decade old Morandi highway bridge that had collapsed. CBS News’ Anna Matranga reports that there was maintenance work being performed on the bridge. Italian fire services said the bridge, in an industrial area in west Genoa, fell down at 5 a.m. Eastern time.
A fire service spokesperson told AFP the bridge collapsed primarily onto rail tracks about 100 yards below and that “cars and trucks” had fallen with the rubble.
Witnesses told Sky Italia that they believed at least 10 vehicles were trapped under the rubble. Another video tweeted by the Italian state police showed part of the actual collapse in what appeared to be cell phone video.
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