GENOA, Italy: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte declared on Wednesday a state of
emergency covering the region around
Genoa after a
bridge collapse killed 39 people and severed the port city's main land corridor with southern France.
Conte, speaking at a news conference in Genoa, said he made the declaration after a request from regional authorities.
He also took aim at toll-road operator Autostrade, a unit of Milan-listed Atlantia group, which operated the bridge as part of a stretch of the A10 motorway it manages.
Conte said the firm had been responsible for ensuring safety on the bridge and the government would not await the outcome of a current criminal investigation into the disaster before taking action. Earlier, the transport minister said the firm's A10 motorway concession should be revoked and it be hit with heavy fines.
