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A suspension bridge crossing a river collapsed on Monday morning in southwestern France. At least one person was killed and others are " probably missing, " according to the Toulouse prosecutor.
More than 80 firefighters were still mobilized Monday at midday after the collapse of a suspension bridge in Mirepoix-sur-Tarn, about thirty kilometers from Toulouse. Helicopters were still flying over the area and relief was channeling the Tarn, the river that jutted the road bridge, looking for victims.
The body of a 15-year-old girl was rescued. His mother, who was in the same vehicle, was saved. At least six other people were injured, one of whom is in a state of absolute emergency. But we do not know exactly how many people were on the bridge when it collapsed.
According to firefighters, a truck and a car dropped in the water. But witnesses evoke a third vehicle. " It seems that there is at least one truck, a car and maybe a van that disappeared into the watercourse, " said the Toulouse prosecutor, Dominique Alzéari.
Renovated in 2003
The mayor of the commune of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn specifies that the bridge is also very borrowed by pedestrians, especially at this time of the day. The facts took place around 8 am on Monday morning.
From this metal bridge suspended about 150 meters long, there are only cables left. The apron is almost completely immersed in the Tarn. The book dates from 1935. It was renovated in 2003 and checked in 2017. It was not listed as sensitive. It was therefore not subject to special surveillance.
In 2018, after the collapse of the Genoa viaduct in Italy and the death of 43 people, the French Senate set up an information mission on the safety of bridges. After ten months of investigation, she had come to the conclusion that more than 25,000 books were in poor condition.