Rescuers scoured crushed mountains of rubble for victims of a bridge collapse in Genoa as the toll rose to 39 on Wednesday and Italy’s Government blamed the company in charge of motorways for the disaster.
A vast span of the Morandi bridge caved in during a heavy rainstorm in the northern port city yesterday, sending about 35 cars and several trucks plunging 45 metres (150 feet) onto the railway tracks below.
At least 39 people are known to have died and 15 injured, according to Italy’s Civil Protection service. Children aged eight, 12 and 13 were among the dead, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said today, adding that more people were still missing.
Three Chileans, who live in Italy, and three French nationals were also killed, according to their respective diplomatic services. Hundreds of rescuers continued their search today after scouring the huge piles of concrete and twisted metal overnight by floodlight, hoping to find survivors.
The tragedy has focused anger on the structural problems that have dogged the decades old bridge and the private sector firm Autostrade per l’Italia, which is currently in charge of operating and maintaining the country’s motorways. Italy’s government said it intended to revoke the company’s contract and hit it with a fine of 150 million euros (USD 170 million).