Rescues work among the debris of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. Italian authorities say that about 10 vehicles were involved when the raised highway collapsed during a sudden and violent storm in the northern port city of Genoa, while private broadcaster Sky TG24 said the collapsed section was about 200-meter long (650 feet). (Luca Zennaro/ANSA via AP)

Rescues work among the debris of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. Italian authorities say that about 10 vehicles were involved when the raised highway collapsed during a sudden and violent storm in the northern port city of Genoa, while private broadcaster Sky TG24 said the collapsed section was about 200-meter long (650 feet). (Luca Zennaro/ANSA via AP)

MILAN (AP) — The Latest on the collapse of a bridge in Italy (all times local):

10:15 p.m.

Italian authorities from the region of Liguria have raised to 26 the number of dead in the collapse of a highway bridge in the port city of Genoa.

The region’s updated the death toll late Tuesday on its Twitter feed, saying two more bodies had been extracted and one person had died in surgery. That brings to 15 the number of injured. The city of Genoa’s civil protection office confirmed the updated death toll.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte visited the city and called the collapse “a serious wound for Genoa, Liguria and Italy.”

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8:35 p.m.

Italy’s leader says 22 people have been killed and 16 injured in a highway bridge collapse in Genoa and he fears that the final death toll may rise further.

Premier Giuseppe Conte traveled to the site of the disaster late Tuesday in the port city, calling it an “immense tragedy.” He told RAI state TV “it is shocking to see the twisted metal and the bridge collapsed with victims who were extracted.”

Conte also praised the hundreds of rescue workers still at the site, saying “they saved people who fell 45 meters (nearly 150 feet) and are now alive and in the hospital.”

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7 p.m.

A man who was under the highway bridge that collapsed in Italy calls it “a miracle” that he survived.

The middle-aged man tells local Italian TV that he was standing in front of his truck under the bridge in the city of Genoa when the structure collapsed Tuesday. He spoke in Italian as he was being filmed walking away from the disaster site but did not give his name.

He says the shockwave sent him flying over 10 meters (33 feet) into a wall, injuring his right shoulder and hip.

He says “I was in front of the truck, and flew away like everything else. Yes, I think it’s a miracle. I don’t know what to say. I’m out of words.”

An official at Italy’s Civil protection agency says at least 20 people died and 16 were injured in the bridge collapse.

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6:55 p.m.

The CNR civil engineering society is calling for a “Marshall Plan” to repair or replace tens of thousands of bridges in Italy that have surpassed their lifespans, having been built in the 1950s and 1960s with reinforced concrete.

Following the deadly collapse of a highway bridge in the city of Genoa, CNR said in a note Tuesday that the bridges were built with the best-known technology of the time, but that their working lifespan is 50 years. It added that in many cases, the cost to update and reinforce the bridges is more than it would cost to destroy and rebuild them.

CNR called for a major program to replace most of the bridges with new ones that would have a lifespan of 100 years.

They cited previous collapses, including in April 2017 in the northern province of Cuneo — it crushed a carabinieri police car but the officers and driver they had pulled over heard the creaking noise and got out of the way in time — and an overpass in the northern city of Lecco that collapsed under exceptional weight, crushing a car and killing the driver.

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6:45 p.m.

An official at Italy’s Civil protection agency says the number of dead confirmed in the collapse of a highway bridge in Genoa is 20 with 16 injured.

Luigi D’Angelo said the figure of 20 dead has gone through a series of verifications by the prefecture office. But he added “the data is subject to updates and unfortunately the updates will be higher.”

Separately, the head of intensive care at the San Martino hospital in Genoa, Angelo Gratarola, told Sky TG24 that the injuries include multiple traumas.

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5:50 p.m.

Italy’s transport minister says the collapse of the highway bridge in Genoa was “unacceptable,” and added if negligence played a role “whoever made a mistake must pay.”

Minister Danilo Toninelli said the company that has the concession to operate the section of highway including the bridge said that no maintenance work was under way at the time of the collapse and that maintenance work was up to date. But Toninelli added they were about to launch a 20 million euro ($22.7 million) bidding process for significant safety work on the bridge.

Toninelli said “there has not been sufficient maintenance and checks, and safety work for many bridges and viaducts and bridges in Italy constructed, almost all, during the 1960s.”

Since taking the ministry two months ago, he said he has asked for updates on the state of all bridges and viaducts in the country. Many are operated by concessions.

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5:10 p.m.

The mayor of the Italian city of Genoa says the death toll in the collapse of a highway bridge in the city has risen.

Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci told Sky TG24 that the number of dead was now above 25 people and that 11 others who were injured have been pulled from the rubble.

A huge section of the Morandi Bridge on a main highway linking Italy with France collapsed Tuesday in Genoa during a sudden, violent storm, sending vehicles plunging 45 meters (nearly 150 feet) into a heap of rubble below.

Hundreds of rescue workers with sniffer dogs are searching through the tons of rubble and twisted metal looking for more victims.

The bridge is on a key highway that connects Genoa to the eastern Liguria coastline and to France.

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4:45 p.m.

It’s too early to say what caused the deadly collapse of a highway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa, but corrosion or weather conditions could have been part of the cause, a structural engineer specializing in bridges says.

“As this reinforced and prestressed concrete bridge has been there for 50 years it is possible that corrosion of tendons or reinforcement may be a contributory factor,” said Ian Firth, former president of The Institution of Structural Engineers.

“The fact that there was reported to be a storm at the time may or may not be particularly relevant. In addition, ongoing work on the bridge may or may not be partly responsible for the collapse,” he added.

Firth said the bridge is an unusual design but is similar to a larger bridge in Venezuela, and both were designed by Riccardo Morandi.

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3:45 p.m.

The head of Italy’s civil protection agency Angelo Borrelli has put the number of victims of the Genoa bridge collapse at 20 people dead and 13 injured.

Borrelli told a press conference in Rome on Tuesday that the victims appear to all have been in vehicles that plunged from the bridge. Borrelli said that while there are two warehouses below the collapse it is believed they were closed for the summer holiday and that no one was inside. He said no residences were involved.

Borelli said that highway engineers were checking the safety of the bridge in other points, and that some areas were being evacuated as a precaution.

Earlier, Italy’s deputy transport minister Edoardo Rixi said the number of victims had risen to at least 22 dead and eight injured.

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3:30 p.m.

Italian

Rixi told Sky TG24 that, as he was speaking, emergency response crews were recovering a body from an automobile that was suspended on a central part of the bridge.

Rixi said it is “the biggest tragedy involving a bridge of this importance in Europe in the last decades.”

He said that at least 20 vehicles on the bridge had plunged in the collapse, and that also people in buildings below the bridge were in some way involved. That included the trash management offices for the city of Genoa.

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3 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron has offered Italy his country’s help after a bridge collapsed in the Italian city of Genoa.

The president’s office said that Macron, who is currently staying at a presidential residence in southern France, had a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

In French and Italian, Macron wrote on Twitter: “Our thoughts go to the victims, their relatives and all the Italian people. France stands by Italy in that tragedy and is ready to provide all necessary support.”

The disaster occurred on a major highway that connects Italy to France and other vacation resorts.

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2:20 p.m.

The Italian news agency ANSA citing the Interior Ministry says that 11 people are confirmed dead in the collapse of a highway bridge in the port city of Genoa.

ANSA reported Tuesday that five people are injured and in serious condition. The Interior Ministry press office could not immediately confirm the fatalities.

An official with Italian firefighters, Amalia Tedeschi, told RAI state TV that some 20 vehicles, including cars and trucks, had been involved in the collapse. She confirmed that two people had been extracted alive from vehicles, with injuries.

Tedeschi said that sniffer dogs are at work in the rubble looking for more injured and victims. In addition, heavy equipment was being moved in so they could lift pieces of the bridge.

Tedeschi said the part of the bridge that collapsed was about 80 meters (yards) in length. Media reports had earlier put it at 200 meters.

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1:30 p.m.

Italian news agency ANSA says one person has been extracted alive from the rubble of the bridge collapse near the northern city of Genoa and is being transported by helicopter to a hospital.

ANSA says Italian rescue workers have identified at least 10 vehicles involved the bridge collapse.

There was no immediate word on overall deaths or injuries. Maria Luisa Catalano of the highway police in Genoa said work was ongoing, adding, “we don’t know numbers of victims/injured yet.”

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said some 200 fire fighters are responding to the accident. On Twitter he says “we are following minute by minute the situation of the bridge collapse in Genoa.”

The bridge is an important interchange between the northern regions of Lombardy and Piedmont and the beaches of Liguria, and to the main highway heading westward into France.

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12:55 p.m.

Italian authorities say that about 10 vehicles were involved when a raised highway collapsed during a sudden and violent storm in the northern port city of Genoa.

Private broadcaster Sky TG24 said that a 200-meter section of the Morandi Bridge collapsed Tuesday over an industrial zone, and firefighters told The Associated Press that there are concerns about gas lines.

Police on Twitter said the collapse occurred during a sudden, violent storm, while firefighters said vehicles were involved, indicating the likelihood of fatalities.

Photos published by the ANSA news agency on its website showed a huge gulf between two sections of the highway.

Video captured the sound of a man screaming: “Oh god, oh, god.” Other images showed a green truck that had stopped just meters (yards) short of the gaping hole in the bridge.

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12:30 p.m.

The Italian news agency ANSA says a raised highway has partially collapsed in the northern port city of Genoa.

There was no immediate word on deaths or injuries. ANSA said that authorities suspected that a structural weakness caused the collapse on Tuesday.

Images circulating on Italian media show the highway through the city with a large section missing. Emergency vehicles were responding.