by Alessandra Cardone

ROME, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people died in the collapse of a major motorway bridge in the northwest Italian city of Genoa on Tuesday, according to local media.

The incident concerned a viaduct called "Morandi Bridge", connecting the highway A10 to the western part of the city, near a populous neighbourhood called Sampierdarena.

When the collapse occurred, some 20 cars and trucks were believed to be passing through the portion of bridge involved, and several people were trapped in their own vehicles under the rubble, firefighters in Genoa told Xinhua.

According to state-run RAI News TV channel, which cited sources from the Interior Ministry, at least 11 of them died, including one child.

However, while speaking to Xinhua, press officers from the Interior Ministry did not confirm the death toll, explaining the firefighter headquarters had not yet provided specific figures.

Emergency crews from Fire Corp, Civil Protection, police, and dog units were all working on the scene.

But the heavy rain that is lashing the city of Genoa hindered the rescue operation.

At least 12 people were injured overall, and none of them immediately appeared in life-threatening conditions, according to 118 Emergency Service local chief Francesco Bermano.

The collapse occurred shortly before 12 a.m. local time. Some two hours after the incident, at least three people were rescued alive from the debris of the cars involved, a firefighter coordinator told RAI News.

"Heavy vehicles are now needed on the scene to move the huge pieces of bridge collapsed," Fire Corp engineer Amalia Tedeschi explained.

Built in the 1960s, the Morandi Bridge is a major connection for the port city of Genoa. The collapse affected a bridge portion of about 100 meters, and might be due to a structural failure, Ansa news agency reported citing civil protection and firefighter sources.

Italian government has called the collapse as "an immense tragedy".