Sky News: The collapsed Genoa bridge that left 43 people dead will take just eight months to rebuild, its operator has said.
Giovanni Castellucci, the chief executive of Autostrade per L’Italia, also said the new bridge would be made of steel.
The firm is responsible for the collapsed Morandi Bridge and has come under heavy criticism since the tragedy on Tuesday.
Mr Castellucci told reporters: “We hope that the speed of the reconstruction can also be a sign of the speed with which the city of Genoa is rising up again.”
Autostrade per l’Italia, which runs nearly half of Italy’s motorway network, has set aside €500m (£448m) to rebuild the structure and aid the port city in its recovery from the disaster.
This includes a fund for the “immediate requirements” of the victims’ families.
There will also be provisions for those forced to move from their homes when the remainder of the collapsed bridge is demolished.
Sky News’ Europe correspondent Mark Stone asked Mr Castellucci if he accepted responsibility for the disaster – and whether he would apologise for the bridge coming down.
The chief executive replied: “I would say that apologies and responsibilities are interconnected. Of course, you apologise if you feel responsible.”
He added: “I believe that the technical situation is so complex that it is up to the justice [system] to understand what happened.
“We will do whatever we can to help justice go fast and deep.
“This is the only thing that we can give to the justice system.”
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