State of emergency declared in Italy's Genoa city

By Ecenur Colak

ROME, Italy

A state of emergency was declared in Italy's northwestern Genoa city for 12 months after part of Morandi bridge collapsed on Tuesday killing dozens.

The decision was announced on Wednesday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who gathered his cabinet in Genoa.

Conte said that they will start the cancellation procedures of the rights of the private company Autostrade, which holds the right of operating and maintaining works of the bridge and connecting roads.

The death toll reportedly rose to 39.

A 100-meter high section of the Morandi Bridge on the A10 motorway collapsed.

A large number of vehicles hit the ground, and some ended up getting buried under the debris.

Although the bridge may have collapsed due to a structural problem, it is suspected that heavy rains and storms could have triggered the incident.

The Morandi Bridge crosses the Genoa-Milan train line and a river.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone call on Wednesday conveyed his condolences to his Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, Cavusoglu also thanked Milanesi over Italy's support to Ankara after attacks on Turkey's economy.