Girl, 15, dies after bridge collapses into river in France
A lorry driver was also declared dead hours after the tragedy near Mirepoix-sur-Tarn, near Toulouse, on Monday.
Monday 18 November 2019 19:38, UK
A 15-year-old girl and a lorry driver have been killed after a bridge collapsed into a river in southwestern France, officials have said.
The 150m-long (492ft) suspension bridge in Mirepoix-sur-Tarn, near Toulouse, collapsed at around 8am local time on Monday.
A lorry, a car and possibly a van were crossing at the same time, the local prosecutor said.
The bridge, which was renovated in 2003 by Haute-Garonne council, was limited to 19-tonne vehicles.
Television footage 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 said.
The mayor of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn later said on French television station BFM TV that the lorry driver had also died.
The local prefect Etienne Guyot said the total number of casualties was not yet known.
The bridge was inspected every six years and had not shown any signs of structural weakness at its last inspection in 2017, according to the council.
A criminal investigation into the causes of the accident has been opened.
Following the collapse of a motorway viaduct last year in Genoa, Italy, which killed 43 people, senators called for extra funding to check and repair bridges across France.