Bridge Collapses in France, Killing Teenage Girl

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/world/europe/france-bridge-collapse.html

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A suspension bridge collapsed into a river in southwestern France on Monday morning, plunging the vehicles traveling across it into the water below and killing a 15-year-old girl. Several others were seriously injured, and officials believe there could be at least one person still unaccounted for.

The vehicles tumbled into the Tarn river at Mirepoix-sur-Tarn, a small town about 18 miles from Toulouse.

Four people including the teenager’s mother were rescued from the river, according to a statement from Dominique Alzeari, the public prosecutor for Toulouse, published in French news outlets. But the 15-year-old girl — who has not been named by the authorities — could not be saved.

Dozens of firefighters and divers, supported by three helicopters, were called into the rescue operation. Photos of the bridge almost fully submerged in the river as suspension cables dangled overhead circulated on social media.

Three people were in serious condition, including the teenage girl’s mother, and two firefighters were also injured, according to a statement from the local authorities.

The teenager’s body was recovered from the river by emergency workers.

At least two vehicles — a car and a truck — were thought to have been on the bridge when it fell, and the authorities have been investigating whether a third vehicle was involved.

Etienne Guyot, the fire service and local security chief, said in a statement that one person was still missing and was being searched for.

The 510-foot metal bridge, which connects the towns of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn and Bessières, was built in the 1930s and renovated in 2003. No structural problems or safety issues were identified in a 2017 inspection, according to representatives from Cerema, the group responsible for such checks in France, who spoke to Radio France.

A further inspection was carried out last year by the Haute-Garonne regional government which confirmed the previous year’s evaluation.

A report by the French Senate, commissioned in 2018 after 43 people were killed in a bridge collapse in Genoa, Italy, found that at least 25,000 bridges in France were in “bad structural condition,” representing roughly 10 percent of the country’s 200,000 to 250,000 bridges. The report, published last June, found that many bridges were aging and suffered from a lack of investment.

La Dépêche, a French newspaper that covers Toulouse and southwestern France, reported that the bridge may have snapped because the weight limit was exceeded.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in a news conference on Monday afternoon that the French government had begun an inquiry into the accident.

“At this time, we do not know the precise cause of the accident,” Elisabeth Borne, the French environment minister, said in a statement.