20 dead in Italy bridge collapse as rescue continues

At least 20 people died and 16 were injured in the collapse of a motorway bridge in the northwest Italian city of Genoa on Tuesday, the country's civil protection said.

A portion of about 100 meters of the bridge crashed down from some 45 meters over a small river and some industrial buildings and railway structures below.

"About 30 cars and some trucks were passing through that portion (at the moment of the incident)," Civil Protection chief Angelo Borrelli told a press conference in Rome in early afternoon.

The provisional death toll rose to 35, according to Ansa news agency, citing firefighter sources. Yet, the civil protection agency coordinating all efforts kept the official account to 20 victims.

Borrelli acknowledged the figure was most likely to rise further as several people were believed trapped in their vehicles crashed under the rubble, and rescue operations were still under way.

Among the people wounded, five were "red code" cases, meaning they were in very critical conditions, Borrelli told a broadcast press conference.

According to local reports, at least four people were rescued from under rubble. The fourth survivor was a man pulled out by firefighters several hours after the incident, which occurred shortly before 12 p.m., Ansa news agency reported citing sources on the scene.

Another woman and her child were also among survivors so far, Fire Corp spokesman Luca Cari told state-run RAI News TV channel.

The collapse concerned a portion of about 100 meters of the "Morandi Bridge", a major viaduct connecting the highway A10 and Genoa west to the east part of the city.

The bridge was 1,182 meters long and 18 meters wide, with three major pillars up to 90 meters high supporting it.

"It was Genoa's main bridge, I took it every day," a local resident who drove across just seconds before the collapse told RAI News 24 public broadcaster.

"I turned around and saw the bridge falling behind me -- there were at least two cars and two trucks on it."

"It was an incredible shock," added the man, who did not give his name and who said he was on his way home from work along with a colleague.

Rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident, involving 200 firefighters, further 100 emergency officers from police and civil protection, as well as dog units, and helicopters.

The city of Genoa was lashed by heavy rain since early morning, and the bad weather hampered the rescue operations.

"The situation is quite critical, and we are working in conditions similar to that in a post-quake area: our first focus now is on the people trapped under rubble, and in their vehicles," Fire Corp spokesperson Luca Cari told state-run RAI News TV channel.

Rescuers would keep working on the scene through the night, prefect Bruno Frattasi from the Civil Protection said.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was expected to visit the city late on Tuesday, the PM's office said in a statement, while Interior Minister Matteo Salvini would join on Wednesday.

Also in a televised interview, the governor of the Liguria region where Genoa is located, Giovanni Toti, said the collapse of the Morandi Bridge is a huge blow to the city, not only because of the fatalities but also because it was used by trucks moving "a majority of goods in our country" as well as "hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers" on their way to the region's scenic coasts.

Meanwhile, messages of solidarity with the people of Genoa and the rescuers continued to pour in via Twitter, including from Doctors Without Borders (MSF), all of Italy's labor unions, government and opposition politicians.

Built in the 1960s, the Morandi Bridge is a major connection for the port city of Genoa. The collapse might be due to a structural failure, Ansa news agency reported citing civil protection and firefighter sources.