Bridge collapse in France leaves two dead and several injured

Two people were killed and several were injured after a bridge collapsed Monday in southwest France, according to local authorities.

A 15-year-old girl died after the bridge leading to the small town of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn collapsed at 8 a.m. local time, Toulouse prosecutor Dominique Alzeari said. The girl’s mother was rescued by witnesses at the scene. Three vehicles were caught in the bridge collapse, according to the prosecutor.

The body of a truck driver was found after a search involving more than 60 rescue workers, the mayor of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn, Eric Oget, and rescue workers told AFP.

“The body, which is in the truck, has not yet been freed,” Oget added.

The bridge collapsed when suspension cables snapped, crashing the structure into the Tarn river, AFP reported. The environment ministry told AFP that recent bridge inspections had “shown no security defects.”

Haute-Garonne police said earlier that three people were seriously injured in the incident, including witnesses who tried to help the victims.

Among the injured are two of the 67 firefighters who rushed to the scene, police said. A total of 40 police officers, as well as divers, were sent.

“We will do our best to find anyone who is missing,” Haute-Garonne police chief Étienne Guyot said.

An investigation has been opened into the incident.

This story has been updated to correct the name of the Toulouse prosecutor.