Italy Bridge Collapse: Dozens dead and search operation started for victims as Italian highway went down in Genoa

Many people have been reportedly killed when a highway partially collapsed in the northern Italian port city of Genoa on Tuesday, leaving many people dead and injured.

However, it is not certain about the number of casualties, but the Italian news agency ANSA quoted emergency officials as saying "tens" of people were killed.

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Saviours were trying to dig through the damaged parts of the bridge to find people in cars that fell through the collapsed section.

Italy's government Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said the collapse appeared to be "an immense tragedy," but he did not immediately confirm casualties.

"The debris from the collapse came to within 20 metres of my car," said a witness, Davide Ricci, who saw the bridge go down while he was driving.

ANSA reported that a structural weakness was suspected of causing the collapse. The portion of the highway that collapsed was about 200 yards long.

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Images tweeted by Italian police showed the highway through the city with a large section missing and a truck stopped just in front of what was left as a precipice. ANSA reported that at least two people were pulled from the rubble alive. Their conditions were not known.

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