A huge stretch of a highway bridge collapsed during a sudden storm in Genoa, Italy. Police report at least 20 cars were involved. USA TODAY


A huge stretch of a highway bridge collapsed in a sudden midday storm Tuesday in the northwestern Italian city of Genoa, crushing vehicles and sending others plunging close to 150 feet. At least 20 people were killed, though the death toll fluctuated throughout the day. Some people were found alive in the debris.

Thirty-five cars and three heavy trucks were on the 260-foot section of the Morandi Bridge that collapsed under torrential rain, said Angelo Borrelli, head of Italy’s civil protection agency. Some ended up in the Polvecera River, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

A witness identified only as Pietro M. told ANSA the bridge was struck by lightning about 11:30 a.m. local time, and he watched it go down.

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The 147-foot-tall bridge was built in the 1960s, the BBC reported. It runs over homes, shopping centers, factories, a railway line and a river, according to ANSA.

Video captured the sound of a man screaming, "Oh God, oh God," as part of the bridge crumbled. Other images showed a green truck that had stopped on the bridge yards short of a gaping hole.

Hundreds of firefighters and emergency officials searched for survivors in the rubble with heavy equipment. At least two people were pulled alive from vehicles and taken by helicopter to a hospital.

Borrelli said highway engineers were checking other parts of the bridge, and some areas were evacuated as a precaution. He said they were still trying to find the reason for the collapse.

“We need to remove all of the rubble to ascertain that all of the people have been reached,” he said. “Operations are ongoing to extract people imprisoned below parts of the bridge and twisted metal.”

Firefighters told the Associated Press there are concerns about gas lines exploding in the area from the collapse.

The Morandi Bridge is a main thoroughfare connecting the A10 highway that goes toward France and the A7 highway that continues north toward Milan and the beaches of Liguria.

Bridge traffic may have been heavier than usual because Italians are starting to celebrate the summer holiday known as Ferragosto, beginning Wednesday. It represents the height of the season, and most city governments and businesses close as people head out to the beaches and mountains.



Contributing: The Associated Press


A witness to the collapse captured the aftermath when a heavy stretch of highway collapsed during a sudden storm in northwestern Italy. Police say about 10 vehicles were involved. USA TODAY

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