Bridge collapseQuestions and anxiety in Italy over Genoa bridge collapse

In the wake of the deadly Morandi Bridge collapse in Genoa, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has called for “all infrastructure” in Italy to be checked.

Investigators is still trying to determine the cause of the collapse.

Italian rescue workers worked through the night and into the morning in search for survivors.

A 100-meter section of the Morandi Bridge, affectionally called Genoa’s “Brooklyn Bridge,” collapsed during a heavy rain storm on Tuesday causing dozens of vehicles to plunge some 45 meters.

The main developments so far:

·  The death toll has reached 35.

·  Many of the injured remain in serious condition.

•  Italy’s transport minister called for senior managers at Autostrade per l’Italia, the company operating the bridge, to resign.

·  The transport minister said the company could face millions of euros in fines.

·  Autostrade per l’Italia said it carried out regular checks before the collapse, and that the inspections had been reviewed and approved by the Transport Ministry.

Prime Minister Conte described the catastrophe as “a serious wound for Genoa, Liguria and Italy” and that “all infrastructure” across the country needed to be double-checked. “We must not allow another tragedy like this to happen again,” he added.

Italian Infrastructure and Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli blamed Autostrade per l’Italia for the incident. The private company runs much of Italy’s motorway network.

The Guardian quotes Toninelli’s post on Facebook that the company was guilty of “serious shortcomings,” and that it will have its concession to run the motorway network withdrawn and face fines of up to €150 million ($170 million).

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini blamed the European Union for making Italy unsafe. He said that funds that would be spent on health and safety “are not allowed to be billed according to strict … rules imposed by Europe.” Salvini, a Euroskeptic, told local broadcaster Radio24: “You always have to ask for permission to spend money.”

President Sergio Mattarella echoed the calls for better conditions on Italian roads. “Italians have the right to modern and efficient infrastructure that accompanies them safely through their everyday lives,” Mattarella said.

The Morandi Bridge was designed by Riccardo Morandi and built in 1967. It was built using reinforced concrete, which at the time was considered the best technology. The bridge provides Genoa a link to the Italian Riviera and France’s southern coast.

The cause of the collapse is still unknown, but some of the potential causes include a possible lightning strike due to the storm at the time of the collapse; an engineering failure; aging infrastructure; and corrosion.

Italy’s CNR civil engineering society said the working lifespan of bridges built during the 1950s and 1960s was only about fifty years. The Morandi Bridge has been in use for fifty-one years.