Italy motorway bridge collapses over Genoa, 'dozens' feared dead

[August 14, 2018]    ROME (Reuters) - A motorway bridge collapsed on Tuesday over the northern Italian port city of Genoa in what the transport minister said was likely to be "an immense tragedy".

A motorway bridge which collapsed on Tuesday near the northern Italian port city of Genoa is seen in this picture released by Italian firefighters on August 14, 2018. Italian Firefighters Press Office/Handout via REUTERS 

The head of the local ambulance service said there were "dozens of dead", Italian news agency Adnkronos reported.

The local fire brigade said also victims were likely after the bridge collapsed at around 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT) during torrential rainfall.

Italian television showed images of the collapsed bridge, which was built on the A10 toll motorway in the 1960s. Restructuring work on the bridge was carried out in 2016.

An witness told Sky Italia television he saw "eight or nine" vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he said was an "apocalyptic scene".

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said in a tweet that he was "following with great apprehension what seems like an immense tragedy".

(Reporting by Massimiliano Di Giorgio, writing by Gavin Jones, editing by Steve Scherer; Editing by Alison Williams)

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