Death Toll from 38 as At Friday to 43 on Saturday

A motorway bridge has collapsed during torrential rainfall, At least 43 people have been killed including Children aged 8, 12 and 13 were among the dead and many seriously injured following the collapse of the bridge near the Northern city of Genoa in Italy.

Approximately 30 cars and up to 10 trucks were on the bridge when the disaster occurred, according to a senior official in the civil protection agency. The bridge was built in 1968 but it underwent redevelopment work in 2016

The bridge fell into part of the offices of AMIU, an environmental group, as well as warehouses for Ansaldo Energia, one of Italy’s leading energy plants. The Ansaldo plant was closed at the time but maintenance staff remain on site.

Sonar teams and rescue dogs have reportedly joined emergency crews in the rescue effort. The collapsed section passes over the densely populated Walter Fillake neighbourhood in the Sampierdarena district of the city, leading to fears that there may be further casualties on the ground. The rescue effort was temporarily halted after a gas leak forced firefighters to evacuate the site of the collapse, according to La Repubblica.  

"The collapse was unexpected and unpredictable. The bridge was constantly monitored, even more than was foreseen by the law," Stefano Marigliani, ASPI director for the Genoa area, adding that "there was no reason to consider the bridge dangerous".

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli described the incident as an “immense tragedy”.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini had stated that his team are monitoring the situation and paid tribute to “200 Firemen (and all the other heroes) who are already working to save lives".