Italian emergency services have released audio of a phone call made by an eyewitness informing them that a major highway bridge had collapsed in the northwestern city of Genoa.
Emergency phone operators expressed incredulity when a man called to let them know of the incident.
The witness starts by breaking the news that the Morandi bridge had collapsed. Here's a transcript of the phone call:
Witness: "The Morandi Viaduct has come down."
Emergency phone operator: "The highway?"
Witness: "Yes."
Second emergency operator: "Have you put out a warning?"
Emergency operator: "Yes, yes. (then speaking to witness) What is your name?"
Witness: "I am calling from Via Mansueto. I can see it from the window, but now you can't see anything anymore."
Emergency operator: "I am going to pass you to the police, stay on the line."
Witness: "Yes, thank you."
Police operator: "Emergency number what locality are you calling from, Genoa? Emergency number, hello?"
Witness: "Hello"
Police operator: "Yes, this is the emergency number. What do you need?"
Witness: "Yes, the Morandi Bridge has collapsed."
Police operator: "It collapsed?"
Witness: "Yes, the Morandi bridge, on the span over the river."
Police operator: "Ok, Morandi bridge, so, Via Fillak?"
Witness: "Yes, Via Fillak. The span over the river and the railway tracks."
Police operator: "Ok, I am going to pass you to are there injured?"
Witness: "I don't know. I live here and I saw the bridge go down. Everything was shaking, the two central spans just went down."
Police operator: "Ok, the Morandi bridge. Stay on the line."
It release comes as the Italian government launched an investigation into toll road operator Autostrade per l'Italia following the collapse of a bridge in Genoa which claimed at least 38 lives.
The ministry of transport said on Thursday it had given the company 15 days to show it had previously met all its contractual obligations to ensure the proper functioning of the bridge to avoid accidents.
If the justifications provided by the company, a unit of infrastructure group Atlantia, were judged inadequate, Rome would consider it a breach of the terms of the group's toll-road concession.
Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2018, shows debris from a collapsed highway bridge in the northern Italian city of Genoa. Source: AAP
A section of the bridge gave way on Tuesday in busy lunchtime traffic, plunging dozens of vehicles 50 metres below.
In a statement, the transport ministry said it wanted the Atlantia unit to immediately commit to rebuilding the bridge at its own expense and within a limited amount of time.
It also called on the company to foot the bill for work to restore the buildings and areas damaged by the accident.
Atlantia, controlled by the Benetton family, owns around 88 per cent of Italy's biggest toll-road concessionary.
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