Italian authorites say as many as 35 people were killed when a bridge carrying vehicles partially collapsed in the northern port city of Genoa Tuesday during an intense storm.
"It's not acceptable that such an important bridge ... was not built to avoid this kind of collapse," Deputy Transport Minister Edoardo Rixi said in an interview with SkyNews24.
Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said he was "following with great apprehension what seems like an immense tragedy."
An eyewitness told Sky Italia television he saw "eight or nine" vehicles on the bridge when it crumbled in what he described as an "apocalyptic scene."
ANSA news agency published photos showing a gaping hole in the bridge, which collapsed over a river, railroad tracks and buildings.
Fire department official Amalia Tedeschi, an official with the firefighters, said the hole was about 80 meters in length.
Tedeschi told RAI state TV two people had been rescued from vehicles with injuries and rescue dogs are searching through the rubble for more survivors. She also said heavy equipment was enroute to lift pieces of the bridge.
ANSA reported authorities suspect structure weakness caused the collapse of the bridge, which was built in the 1960's and underwent renovation in 2016.
The bridge is a major thoroughfare that links the Italian Riviera to France's southern coast.
意大利当局表示，周二，北部港口城市热那亚的一座公路桥在暴风雨中部分倒塌，造成至少35人死亡。
交通部副部长爱德华多·瑞希在接受天空资讯台（SkyNews24）采访时说：“这样一座重要的桥梁竟然会这样坍塌，这是不可接受的。”
交通部长达尼洛·托尼内利说：“这似乎是一场惨重的悲剧，“他在非常不安地关注事态的发展。
一名目击者告诉意大利星空电视台，桥梁坍塌时，他看到桥上有“8或9”辆轿车，他将其称之为“世界末日的场景”。
安莎通讯社发布的照片显示，这座桥上有一个大裂口，这个裂口致使桥梁坍塌在河流、铁轨和建筑物上。
消防部门的官员阿玛莉亚·泰得奇说，这个裂口长约80米。
泰得奇告诉意大利广播电视公司国家电视台，两名受伤人员从车辆中被救出，搜救犬正在废墟中寻找更多的幸存者。她还说重型设备在赶来，挪走桥梁的断裂部分。
安莎通讯社讯报道说，意大利当局怀疑是桥梁结构脆弱导致桥梁坍塌，该桥梁建于1960年代，并于2016年进行了翻修。
这座桥是连接意大利里维埃拉地区和法国南部海岸的主要通道。