Girl, 15, is killed and several missing after suspension bridge collapses in France, sweeping away her parents’ car and a truck
- One girl, 15, and four rescued from river after a suspension bridge collapsed
- The bridge over the Tarn river in southwest France collapsed on Monday
- Three vehicles are believed to have been caught in the bridge collapse
ByMilly Vincent For Mailonline
Published :|Updated:
Four people were rescued but several others are feared missing after the collapse of the Mirepoix-sur-Tarn bridge, the fire service and local security chief Etienne Guyot said.
The bridge linked the towns of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn and Bessieres, 18 miles nort h of the city of Toulouse, south west France.
The bridge links the towns of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn and Bessieres, 18 miles north of the city of Toulouse, south west France
The body of the dead girl was pulled from the water, Toulouse prosecutor Dominique Alzeari said at the scene
According to
The body of the dead girl was pulled from the water, Toulouse prosecutor Dominique Alzeari said at the scene. Her mother was rescued by onlookers.
Television images showed one car nose-down in the water, with only its rear lights and bumper above the surface. The mother of the deceased teenager was among three people rescued from the water, the prosecutor added.
The local prefect Etienne Guyot said the full number of casualties was not yet known.
Mr Guyot said: ‘There are probably several people missing , we can’t yet determine how many. Our priority is to find these people. ‘
The bridge was inspected every six years and had shown no sign of structural weakness at its last inspection in 2017, the Haute-Garonne regional council told Reuters.
Is is not yet clear why the bridge collapsed howeverlocal reportssuggest a heavy weight truck, above the authorized tonnage limit for the bridge, may have attempted to cross.
Witnesses also saw a utility vehicle fall from the bridge into the water, reports la depeche.
According to local reports the 15 – year-old victim had been in a car with her parents at the time of the collapse – with one woman able to swim to shore
The partially submerged road can be seen in the river Tarn as rescuers work to recover victims
Over 60 rescue workers, including divers, and 40 police were taking part in the search for survivors, Guyot told reporters, adding there were ‘probably several missing’.
Among those feared missing was the truck driver and the driver of a potential third ve hicle, he said, adding that witnesses had reported seeing a van on the bridge.
The bridge which had a load limit of 19 tonnes, dated to the 1930 s, he said, and was ‘regularly checked’.
The bridge linked the towns of Mirepoix-sur- Tarn and Bessieres, 18 miles north of the city of Toulouse, south west France
The mayor of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn Eric Oget described it as a ‘very important crossing point’ for people going to work in Toulouse on the other side of the river .
Many pedestrians, including schoolgoers, also used the bridge, he said, describing the accident as a ‘real trauma’.
The Mirepoix-sur-Tarn bridge, 492 feet long and 16 foot wide, is said to be maintained by the county council and was built in 1931 with renovation in 2003, reportsRTBF.
Senators last year called for more money to check and repair bridges across France after the collapse of a motorway viaduct in Genoa, Italy, killed 43 people.
Four people were rescued but several others are feared missing after the collapse of the Mirepoix-sur-Tarn bridge
Among those feared missing was the truck driver and the driver of a potential third vehicle, reported to be a utility vehicle
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