The Italian government has imposed a 12-month state of emergency for Genoa. The reason is collapse of a busy motorway bridge where at least 39 people had been killed on Tuesday. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he was following a request from local authorities. An emergency aid of five million euros was also released at a crisis meeting of Council of Ministers.
During a severe storm, numerous vehicles from a height of about 50 meters were plunged into a riverbed, on railway tracks and several buildings. The bridge erupted on a length of 100 meters.
Rescue staff are still looking for victims and survivors. The motorway bridge was part of so-called A10 Flower Highway. This is an important traffic axis on Italian Riviera, which is also used by tourists. It connects Genoa with Ventimiglia on French border.
The government is responsible for misfortune of motorway operator Autostrate per l ' Italia. He's threatened with license withdrawal.
As a consequence of collapse, Italy's interior minister had promised high investment in his country's ailing infrastructure on Tuesday. He made it clear that, if necessary, he would also disregard rules on stability and debt in EU.
Date Of Update: 16 August 2018, 12:00
