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More than 20 people killed after highway bridge collapses in northern Italy
A highway bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy, on Tuesday, resulting in at least 20 deaths and injuries. (ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 20 people killed after highway bridge collapses in northern Italy

A highway bridge in the northern port city of Genoa, Italy, collapsed Tuesday, resulting in more than 20 deaths. Rescuers are still searching for victims amid the wreckage.

What happened?

The Morandi bridge gave way during a violent storm around noon, and several vehicles fell roughly 160 feet in the rubble. An Italian transport official said 22 people have been confirmed dead in the tragedy, and at least another eight were injured. Four people were pulled from the wreckage alive, news outlet ANSA reported.

First responders estimated that up to 20 vehicles were on the bridge when a 650-foot section  crumbled onto railway tracks and buildings in an industrial area below. One witness told Sky Italia television called the collapse an "apocalyptic scene."

State police posted a video showing part of the structure falling, with a man in the background yelling, "Oh God, oh, God."

Areal footage of the scene has also been released on social media, showing cars and trucks still on the bridge in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Anything else?

Italy's Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli tweeted, according to a translation provided by CNN, "I am following with the utmost apprehension what has happened to #Genoa and which looms as an immense tragedy. We are in close contact with Autostrade (company managing Italian highways) and we are going to the site with the deputy Minister Rixi. My total closeness at this time to the city."

The bridge was built in the 1960s, and restructuring work was conducted on it in 2016.

According to Reuters, shares in the toll road operator Atlantia — which runs the roadway — were suspended after dropping 4.6 percent following news of the collapse.

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