In Janov, a section of the highway bridge collapsed, so far 35 dead

The Liguria region, of which Genoa is the capital, reported on its Twitter that there are 35 victims, referencing firefighters. Civil defense previously stated that at the time of the collapse, there were 35 cars and three trucks on that section of the Morandi Bridge. One of them was a truck from the Prague transport company SPED-IT, whose director Václav Zázvůrek told CTK that the truck driver is alive and in communication. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently has no reports of other Czech injured or victims.

The cause of the bridge collapse is unknown. It was heavily raining at the time of the accident, so some people claim that the soil saturation contributed to the disaster. However, Italian media also report that the bridge, built in the 1960s, had often been repaired, and experts had warned about the inadequacy of these repairs. The governor of Liguria, Giovanni Toti, stated today that the bridge's maintenance proved to be insufficient.

According to Italian Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, the company Autostrade, which operates the structure, is responsible for its maintenance. According to ANSA, the bridge had long been overloaded with too much traffic; it carries the A10 highway, which is the main route from northeastern and southern Italy to the tourist-popular Ligurian coast. The A10 then connects to the road to the French Riviera.

The longest section of the Morandi Bridge fell into the river below, but some large blocks also landed on two industrial halls, where, according to civil defense, there were likely no people at that moment. Residential buildings in the vicinity of the bridge were subsequently evacuated as a precaution, because, according to firefighters, there is a threat of further sections of the bridge collapsing.