GENOA, Italy - At least 22 people have been killed 'including a baby' and dozens more are feared dead after a huge 260ft section of a highway bridge collapsed during a fierce storm in Genoa, Italy.
Cars fell 300ft along with tonnes of twisted steel and concrete debris into a river, railroad tracks and an industrial zone below when the Morandi bridge gave way at 11.30am local time.
Ambulance chiefs said there were 'dozens of dead' in what the transport minister called 'an immense tragedy.' There are reports that a baby is among the victims.
One witness described the carnage as an 'apocalyptic' while rescuers are fearful damaged gas lines could explode. Incredibly, two people have been pulled alive from cars found in the mangled ruins of the bridge.
Dramatic footage shows trucks and cars stranded on either side of the collapsed section of the bridge, which was built on the A10 toll motorway in northwestern Italy in the 1960s and which was undergoing repairs.
The exact cause of the disaster, the latest in a string of bridge collapses in Italy, is not yet clear but Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said it showed the dilapidated state of the country's infrastructure and a lack of maintenance, adding that 'those responsible will have to pay.' (FA)
