Un segment du pont Morandi, sur lequel passe l’autoroute A10 au-dessus de la ville du nord de l’Italie, s’est écroulé mardi. Un premier bilan fait état d’au moins 11 morts.
Rescuers are at work amid the rubble of a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier, on August 14, 2018 in Genoa. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – A picture taken on August 14, 2018 in Genoa shows a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier injuring several people. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by Andrea LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT – A picture taken on August 14, 2018 in Genoa shows a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier injuring several people. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on August 14, 2018 in Genoa shows a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier injuring several people. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on August 14, 2018 in Genoa shows a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier injuring several people. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
Rescuers are at work, on August 14, 2018 in Genoa, at a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier injuring several people. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
Rescuers are at work amid the rubble of a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier, on August 14, 2018 in Genoa. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
Rescuers are at work amid the rubble of a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier, on August 14, 2018 in Genoa. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
Rescuers are at work amid the rubble of a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier, on August 14, 2018 in Genoa. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on August 14, 2018 in Genoa shows a view of the Ponte Morandi motorway bridge, after one of its section collapsed injuring several people. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on August 14, 2018 in Genoa shows a view of the Ponte Morandi motorway bridge, after one of its section collapsed injuring several people. – Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were « tens of victims », while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images)
Une portion d’un viaduc de l’autoroute A10 s’est écroulée peu avant midi, mardi 14 août, au-dessus de la ville de Gênes, grande ville du nord de l’Italie.
Le pont Morandi, qui traverse la rivière Polcevera au nord du centre-ville, a brusquement cédé au-dessus d’une zone industrielle, alors que des véhicules circulaient sur l’autoroute A10, qui passe sur le pont.
Les causes de cet effondrement restaient, mardi après-midi, inconnues. L’agence de presse italienne Ansa souligne que l’effondrement aurait pu être causé par « une défaillance structurelle » de l’édifice.
Un bilan provisoire de onze morts
Cité par plusieurs médias italiens, le ministère de l’intérieur fait état d’au moins onze morts et cinq blessés graves. Un peu plus tôt, le directeur du centre d’appel des urgences de Gênes a fait état de « dizaines de victimes », sans préciser s’il s’agissait de morts ou de blessés.
200 pompiers mobilisés
« Les équipes des pompiers sont engagées en nombre, les équipes de recherches et cynophiles sont activées », ont-ils annoncé sur Twitter. Ces derniers sont inquiets de l’état des conduites de gaz, situées dans la zone industrielle sur laquelle s’est effondré le segment d’autoroute, sur une longueur de plusieurs dizaines de mètres.
Un pont construit dans les années 1960
Le pont Morandi, du nom de son ingénieur, a été construit dans les années 1960 au-dessus de la rivière Polcevera, dont l’estuaire se trouve sur le port de Gênes. Il est long de 1 182 mètres et se situe à une hauteur comprise entre 45 et 55 mètres au-dessus du sol. Des travaux de rénovations ont été menés en 2016 sur l’édifice, selon le média Il post.
