ITALY: State of emergency follows bridge tragedy

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has declared a 12-month state of emergency in the Liguria region in response to the motorway bridge collapse in Genoa. He also said he would make €5m ($5.7m) available from central funds. The regional government had requested the action following Tuesday’s collapse, which left 39 people dead. There has been […]

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has declared a 12-month state of emergency in the Liguria region in response to the motorway bridge collapse in Genoa.

He also said he would make €5m ($5.7m) available from central funds.

The regional government had requested the action following Tuesday’s collapse, which left 39 people dead.

There has been anger and disbelief in Italy that such a vital structure could have simply given way.

Rescuers have said there is little hope of finding more survivors underneath the Morandi bridge, where almost 40 vehicles fell 45m (148ft) in Tuesday’s collapse.

The cause is not yet known but there have been calls for the heads of the company operating the bridge to resign.

Survivors have also been recalling the horror of the bridge’s collapse.