The excavators began the removal of huge parts of the collapsed bridge in the Italian city of Genoa on Friday as part of the search tasks of people who are still missing, three days after the fatal accident.
The search entered a new phase after heavy machinery removed a huge vertical section, which cleared a new area to review. Rescuers have made their way through tons of piles of steel, concrete and crushed vehicles that fell from a height of up to 45 meters (150 feet) when the bridge collapsed during a downpour on Tuesday.
The authorities confirmed that 38 people died and 15 were injured. According to the prosecution, between 10 and 20 people could still be missing and warned that the death toll is expected to rise.
The first funerals of the victims will take place on Friday night, before the state funeral in Genoa to be held on Saturday and will be officiated by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco.
Italy's government approved a 12-month state of emergency statement on Wednesday for the area and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said his executive would not wait for the prosecution to complete its probe to withdraw the concession to the country's largest private company. maintenance of the Italian motorways, Atlantia.
The incident occurred at noon on Tuesday, on the eve of the most important summer holiday in Italy, when the traffic was especially intense in this bridge raised 51 years ago and linking two dual carriageways, one to France and one to Milan.