Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrives to inspect the site of the collapsed Morandi Bridge in the port city of Genoa, Italy August 14, 2018. REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

GENOA, Italy (Reuters) - 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.