The interior ministry said that 11 people are known to have have died after a section of a highway bridge in Genoa collapsed on Tuesday. It said five injured people were in hospital in a serious condition.
Several crushed vehicles are under the rubble with dead people inside and two people were pulled out alive, rescue sources said. Some lorries ended up in the Polvecera river, Carabinieri police sources said.
The Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs gave way amid torrential rain. It runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the river.
"I am following what has happened in Genoa with maximum ransport and Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli said via Twitter.
"We are in close contact with the highways agency and we are going to the scene with deputy minister Rixi. "My total support and the moment is with the city".
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