ROME (Sputnik) – The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport said Thursday it had set up a special commission to investigate the causes and circumstances of the collapse of the motorway bridge in the city of Genoa.
A section of the Morandi Bridge collapsed on Tuesday, sending at least 30 cars from a height of 100 meters (328 feet) on warehouses, railway tracks and a river. The incident claimed lives of nearly 40 people. The exact number of missing persons has not yet been established. Search and rescue operations continue.
“The inspection commission has already started work and will take the first steps tomorrow in Genoa in order to establish the causes and circumstances of the collapse,” the report said.
The ministry noted it was the first step it had taken “to shed light on what happened and carry out all checks to determine possible violations” on the part of Autostrade per l’Italia, the company that manages most of the country’s toll roads, to assess the possibility of severing the concession agreement with it.
Following the tragedy, the Italian government has imposed a year-long state of emergency in the Liguria region, where the bridge is located, and allocated 5 million euros (some $5.7 million) to manage the consequences of the incident.
The state funeral of the victims will be held in Genoa on Saturday. On that day, nationwide mourning will be declared in Italy.
