A major motorway bridge has collapsed in northern Italy, apparently causing significant casualties, according to early reports.

The country’s government said around 30 people have died in the incident, with more hurt, as rescue crews scramble to find survivors.

Reports from the scene show people being pulled from the rubble after the road collapsed in a sudden and violent storm. The incident sent around 20 cars and three heavy trucks tumbling as 80 metres of elevated highway fell away.

Italian Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said the collapse of the Morandi Bridge was an “immense tragedy”. “I’m following with great apprehension what has happened in Genoa, which appears to be an immense tragedy,” he said in a statement posted on social media.

Italy’s Adnkronos news agency cited an emergency ambulance service spokesman estimating that dozens of people had perished in the collapse, suggesting the death toll could rise.

Italian news agency ANSA said authorities believe structural weaknesses may have caused the collapse.
The viaduct, near the port city of Genoa, was built for the A10 motorway in the 1960s, with restructuring work reportedly carried out on it in the 2016.

A structural fault and a sudden and powerful storm is thought to have caused the collapse, The Independent reports.