Investigation opened into Italy bridge collapse that killed 41 amid desperate search for missing

A large section of the bridge buckled, sending cars plummeting to the ground.

August 18, 2018, 3:56 PM

LONDON -- The Italian government announced it has opened a probe into a bridge collapse in Genoa that killed at least 41 people, while excavators began Friday to clear large sections of what remains of the bridge in the search for the estimated 10 to 20 people still missing.

Large sections of the nearly 50-year-old Morandi bridge collapsed Tuesday, sending vehicles plunging 150 feet to the ground.

The government in addition to opening an investigation is putting pressure on the country's largest toll-road operator to prove that it met its contractual obligations in maintaining the viaduct.

Rescuers at work amid rubble and wreckage after the collapse of a section of the Morandi motorway bridge in Genoa, Italy, Aug. 15, 2018.
Vigili del Fuoco/AFP/Getty Images

The Italian transport ministry has also demanded that the private contractor, Autostrade, whose parent group Atlantia is controlled by the influential Benetton family, complete the bridge’s replacement and bear the brunt of the cost.

Genoa's public prosecutor’s office, which is also investigating the accident, said it is looking into whether or not there may be a case for negligible homicide.

Since the deadly collapse, the government has threatened to strip Autostrade of its lucrative contract managing highways in the country. The firm has warned that breaking the deal ahead of term would make the government liable for a hefty fee.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Autostrade is expected to hold “an extraordinary board meeting” on Tuesday to discuss the disaster, according to a source speaking to the news agency, who added that no management changes were expected at the firm.

PHOTO: Rescue teams at work in the area of the collapsed Morandi bridge in Genoa, Italy,  Aug. 15, 2018.
Rescue teams at work in the area of the collapsed Morandi bridge in Genoa, Italy, Aug. 15, 2018.
Alessdandro Di Marco/EPA via Shutterstock

Families hold funerals for victims

A number of families in Genoa are holding private funerals for their loved ones, some shunning public funerals organized by the state, according to Italian daily newspaper La Stampa.

On Saturday, Italian officials held a state funeral for the 41 victims.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella (R) as he meets relatives of victims before attending the State funeral after the collapse of the Morandi bridge, in Genoa, Aug. 18, 2018.
Francesco Ammendola/AFP/Getty Images
A State funeral service is held for the victims of the Morandi Bridge disaster at the Fiera di Genova exhibition center on Aug. 18, 2018 in Genoa, Italy.
Jack Taylor/Getty Images
Archbishop of Genoa Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco (R) blesses the coffins during the state funeral of the victims of the Morandi Bridge collapse, on Aug. 18, 2018, in Genoa, Italy.
Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images
Relatives mourn near the coffins of some of the victims of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge, laid in front of the altar during the funeral service, in Genoa, Italy, Aug. 18, 2018.
Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images
People attend the State funeral for victims of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge on Aug. 18, 2018, in Genoa, Italy.
sicki/IPA via REX/Shutterstock

No clear cause

Antonio Brencich, an expert who criticized the bridge’s structure before the accident happened, has suggested to reporters that the collapse may have been due to the breaking of a cable rod.

Rescue teams work among the rubble of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge over the A10 highway in Genoa, Italy, Aug. 14, 2018.
ZUMAPRESS.com/Newscom

“There is talk that the collapse was sparked by the breaking of a cable rod. ... There are eyewitness accounts and videos that go in this direction,” Brencich said to reporters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related Topics