By Ecenur Colak
ROME
At least 35 people, including a child, died when a motorway bridge collapsed in the northwestern city of Genoa on Tuesday, the deputy transport minister said.
Edoardo Rixi told Sky TG24, an Italian broadcaster, the number of causalities may rise.
He said 13 people were seriously injured while 10 others still remain missing.
A 100-meter high section of the Morandi Bridge on the A10 motorway collapsed at around 11.30 a.m. local time (0930GMT), according to Italian news agency ANSA.
A large number of vehicles hit the ground, and some ended up getting buried under the debris.
Although the bridge may have collapsed due to a structural problem, it is suspected that heavy rains and storms could have triggered the incident.
The Morandi Bridge crosses the Genoa-Milan train line and a river.
In his speech following his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in capital Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed his condolences to the Italian government and people over the incident.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “We share the grief of the friendly people of Italy. We extend our sincere condolences to the bereaved relatives of those who lost their lives as a result of this tragedy, to the Italian government and the people of Italy.”
It also wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Earlier, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also offered his condolences to the victims of the bridge collapse.
