A 15-year-old girl died and a truck driver was missing after a suspension bridge over a river in southwest France collapsed on Monday, reigniting a debate over infrastructure safety in the wake of last year’s disaster in Genoa.
A truck and a car plunged into the Tarn river after the bridge between the towns of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn and Bessieres, 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of Toulouse, gave way.
Environ 80 #SP du @sdis31officiel et des renforts du @SDIS81 sont déployés sur le secteur de Mirepoix sur Tarn. Photo par @olecorre pic.twitter.com/oNNBkcIf5H
— Sapeurs-pompiers 31 (@sdis31officiel) November 18, 2019
The bridge collapsed from the suspension cables and crashed into the waters of the Tarn, where only a small portion was left exposed above the river.
The girl was travelling in the car with her mother, who was plucked from the water by bystanders, Toulouse public prosecutor Dominique Alzeari said.
Five people, including two rescue workers and some local people who tried to save the victims, were seriously injured, according to the region’s security department.
Over 60 rescue workers, including divers, were searching for the driver of the truck and also checking whether any other vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the accident.
Vers 8h ce matin, un pont suspendu s’est effondré à Mirepoix s/Tarn. Le préfet est sur place auprès des familles des victimes, des élus et des forces de secours et de sécurité pleinement mobilisés. pic.twitter.com/Wz4M4Hwan1
— Préfet d'Occitanie et de la Haute-Garonne (@PrefetOccitanie) November 18, 2019
The bonnet of the sunken car could be seen sticking out of the water as helicopters circled overhead.
The authorities had earlier said that a van might also have fallen into the river and that “several” people might be missing. But Alzeari said “that does not appear to be the case.”
An investigation into the cause of the collapse was under way.
The environment ministry said that recent inspections of the bridge had “shown no security defects”.
The council of the local Haute-Garonne area said the bridge, which dated to 1931 and had been renovated in 2003, underwent a “thorough” inspection in 2017 showing “no structural problem”.
A visual inspection of the 155-metre (510-foot) structure, some 6.5 metres wide, confirmed that conclusion in 2018, the environment ministry said.
