advertisement

Toll rises to 42 in Italy bridge collapse ahead of funerals

GENOA, Italy - Rescue crews found four more bodies Saturday in the rubble of the Genoa bridge collapse, raising the death toll to 42, Italian media reported, as mourners filled a fairground pavilion for a state funeral for many of the victims found in recent days.

Italian RAI state radio said what was believed to be the body of the last person missing in Tuesday's collapse of the Morandi Bridge was that of a 30-year-old man.

A few hours earlier, the bodies of an Italian couple and their 9-year-old daughter were found in their smashed car under a big block of concrete, part of tons of material that crashed 45 meters (150 feet) into a dry riverbed and nearby areas when the heavily trafficked major highway span gave way. Relatives had said the family, from northern Italy, had been traveling to catch a ferry for the island of Elba while on vacation.

RAI said authorities now believe there are no more missing after an elderly German man called officials to say he wasn't involved in Tuesday's collapse.

Genoa's prefect's office said it didn't immediately have official confirmation of the media reports of the latest discovery of bodies by rescuers.

Mourners applauded firefighters and others involved in search-and-rescue efforts as they arrived for the funeral on a day of national mourning.

By early Saturday, families of 18 victims had confirmed their participation in the funeral and Mass celebrated by Genoa's archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco. Government leaders also were attending the state funeral.

Others opted for private funerals, including one a day earlier for four friends, young men in their 20s, from the southern town of Torre del Greco. At that service, relatives angrily denounced authorities for what they contend is failure to keep the bridge safe.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. Prosecutors have said they are focusing either on possible design flaws or inadequate maintenance.

People stand by a small white coffin of a child ahead of a funeral service for some of the victims of a collapsed highway bridge, in Genoa's exhibition center Fiera di Genova, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning in Italy and includes a state funeral at the industrial port city's fair grounds for those who plunged to their deaths as the 45-meter (150-foot) tall Morandi Bridge gave way Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Coffins of some of the victims of a collapsed highway bridge are seen inside the exhibition center Fiera di Genova ahead of a funeral service, in Genoa, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning in Italy and includes a state funeral at the industrial port city's fair grounds for those who plunged to their deaths as the 45-meter (150-foot) tall Morandi Bridge gave way Tuesday. (Luca Zennaro/ANSA via AP)
Players of the Campi Corniglianese soccer team gather by the coffin of their teammate Marius Djerri at the exhibition center Fiera di Genoa for the funeral service of some of the victims of a collapsed highway bridge, in Genoa, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning in Italy and includes a state funeral at the industrial port city's fair grounds for those who plunged to their deaths as the 45-meter (150-foot) tall Morandi Bridge gave way Tuesday. (AP Photo/Nicola Marfisi)
A man holds up a sign with writing reading in Italian "In Italy, at maintenance it is preferred inauguration" and the recent floods? and the Vajont dam? The past doesn't teach anything to those who don't want to learn the lessons of history" as he stands outside the exhibition center Fiera di Genova where a funeral service for some of the victims of a collapsed highway bridge is taking place, in Genoa, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning in Italy and includes a state funeral at the industrial port city's fair grounds for those who plunged to their deaths as the 45-meter (150-foot) tall Morandi Bridge gave way Tuesday. (Simone Arveda/ANSA via AP)
A view of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, Italy, Friday, Aug. 17, 2018. Excavators have begun clearing large sections of the collapsed highway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa in the search for people still missing three days after the deadly accident. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
A view of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge, in Genoa, Italy, Friday, Aug. 17, 2018. Officials say 38 people are confirmed killed and 15 injured. Prosecutors say 10 to 20 people might be unaccounted-for and the death toll is expected to rise. (Luca Zennaro/ANSA via AP)
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.