Rescuers clearing rubble from Italian bridge after collapse that killed at least 38
Prime minister revokes concessions from bridge operator as state funeral planned for Saturday
Italian rescue workers are using jackhammers and cranes to lift giant slabs of concrete from the Genoa highway bridge collapse, hoping to find survivors buried in the rubble of the disaster in Italy that has left at least 38 people dead.
Genoa's chief prosecutor said Thursday that between 10 and 20 people were still missing. On Friday, however, Italy's Civil Protection Agency said only five people were unaccounted for.
A fire held up part of the operation in the early morning, sending up clouds of white smoke before being extinguished. A spark from metal-cutting equipment was thought to have caused the blaze that started in a warehouse under the ruined bridge.
But the more than 300 firefighters who have been working non-stop since Tuesday resumed their task.
Chances of finding survivors appeared to be slim. Vehicles on the highway that links the port city to the French border plummeted 50 metres to the ground when a 200-metre stretch of the viaduct collapsed on Tuesday.
Firefighters, who are using sniffer dogs as well as heavy machinery, have not yet reached all the cars.
"We are trying to find points where we can penetrate these incredibly heavy slabs. Then the earth-moving equipment moves in to create a passageway where the dogs can enter," firefighter Stefano Zanut said at the scene.
Rescuers hope the large chunks of debris may have created a "triangle of survival" when they fell where someone could still be alive, he said.
Apartments to be demolished
Some 600 people have had to leave their apartments below the remaining spans of the bridge for fear of further collapse. The homes will be demolished as officials have deemed it would be too dangerous to leave them there.
The government has said alternative housing will be found, although it may take months to house everyone again.
A state funeral for many of the victims will be held on Saturday at Genoa's Exhibition and Trade Centre, led by the city's archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, and attended by President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
But some families plan to boycott the event and hold their own private services, as a sign of protest against what they say was the negligence that caused the bridge to collapse.
Italy's government launched a procedure on Friday to revoke concessions held by Autostrade per l'Italia, the company responsible for maintaining the bridge and toll highways surrounding it, Conte said.
An engineering study commissioned by Autostrade last year warned about the state of the bridge's concrete-encased cable stays, Italian newspapers reported.
Autostrade has said it monitored the bridge on a quarterly basis, as required by law, and carried out additional checks by hiring external experts. It had no immediate response to the government's move to revoke its concessions.
"This disaster obliges us to take new initiatives which are much more rigorous than those adopted by previous governments," Conte said in a statement, adding that the government held responsible for Tuesday's collapse.
The government has declared Saturday a national day of mourning. The state funeral will be televised live and broadcaster RAI will not air any advertising, as a sign of respect for the victims.