State of emergency after bridge collapse in Genoa

Colombo (News 1st) - Italian PM Giuseppe Conte has declared a 12-month state of emergency in the Liguria region in response to the motorway bridge collapse in Genoa. The regional government had requested the action following Tuesday's (August 14) disaster, which left 39 people dead. A huge tower and sections of the bridge - measuring about 200m - collapsed on to railway lines, a river and a warehouse. The motorway operator had told BBC that work to shore up the bridge's foundation was being carried out at the time. It had been reported by the Italian Motorway network in 2011 that the bridge had been suffering from degradation due to heavy traffic.