The Italian government has lowered the death toll from a bridge collapse in Genoa to 22.
Earlier reports suggested as many as 35 people had died, with the Interior Ministry saying "about 30" had been killed.
The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has confirmed 22 people have died.
Four people have been "pulled out alive" from the wreckage in the northern Italian city.
This figure could rise, as 16 people are injured.
The dead include at least one child, reports the Corriere newspaper, quoting the Interior Ministry.
Two of those rescued were flown to hospital by helicopter, firefighters said, while rescuers say a further 10 people are missing.
Firefighters rescue a person from the rubble of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, northern Italy | Image: Luca Zennaro/AP/Press Association Images
The Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said he is 'deeply saddened'.
In a statement, Mr Coveney said: "I want to express my condolences to the Italian Government and people, and especially to the families of those killed and injured in today’s horrific bridge collapse.
"My thoughts and prayers are with all those grieving at this very difficult time."
The Irish embassy in Rome has said it is aware of the incident, and offered phone numbers to help people concerned.
We are aware of reports of an incident in Genoa, Italy. Those in the area should follow the advice of local authorities. Anyone with concerns in relation to an Irish citizen who they believe to be in the area can contact @dfatirl on 01 4082000 (or +353 1 4082000 from outside Irl)
— IrelandEmbassyRome (@IrlEmbRome) August 14, 2018
Thirty-five cars and three heavy vehicles are under the bridge, Italian Civil Protection said.
The fire service said the number of firefighters on the scene had risen to 300.
A family believed to be going on holiday have been found in the rubble, with rescuers saying they found suitcases inside the car.
A former professional footballer experienced a "miracle" as he survived after he fell while driving on the bridge as it crumbled.
The vehicles plunged a significant distance into a river and an industrial area when a large section of the Morandi Bridge collapsed at about 11.30am during a sudden and violent storm.
Image: © La Repubblica/Ropi via ZUMA Press
As Prime Minister Conte arrived in Genoa, with plans to stay in the city over night, he confirmed the number of dead was verified to be 22.
Italian Deputy Transport Minister Edoardo Rixi told SkyNews24 the number of dead is set to rise.
"It's not acceptable that such an important bridge... was not built to avoid this kind of collapse...The central section came down," he said.
A fire service spokesperson told AFP that the bridge had mostly fallen on rail tracks below, taking "cars and trucks" with it.
As emergency services personnel picked through ground strewn with huge chunks of rubble and metal, they searched large white lorries, which were left overturned and smashed into pieces, lying upturned with their wheels in the air.
#Genova #14agosto Per il traffico locale si consiglia di non percorrere le Autostrade e di fruire della viabilità ordinaria.
Si consiglia di evitare le aree limitrofe al #crolloponte per non essere d’intralcio alle operazioni di soccorso. pic.twitter.com/d5jKI9izBc— Polizia di Stato (@poliziadistato) August 14, 2018
A man who was under the bridge says it's "a miracle" that he survived.
The unnamed middle-aged man told Italian media he was stood in front of his truck under the bridge as the structure collapsed Tuesday.
The man, speaking in Italian to reporters as walked away from the disaster site, said the shockwave sent him flying over 33 feet into a wall, injuring his right shoulder and hip.
He says "I was in front of the truck, and flew away like everything else. Yes, I think it's a miracle. I don't know what to say. I'm out of words."
A white car had been flattened as if it had been in a crusher, one of its doors squeezed outwards and its windscreen improbably still intact.
Video showing parts of the structure falling has been posted to Twitter by local police and what appears to be flashes of electricity are visible as concrete columns shatter and drop into water.
Rescuers work among the rubble of the Morandi highway bridge that collapsed in Genoa, northern Italy | Image: Luca Zennaro/AP/Press Association Images
Around 200 firefighters have been responding to the incident and have told the Associated Press they are concerned about gas lines.
A witness told Sky Italia television he saw "eight or nine" vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he called an "apocalyptic scene".
Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said in a tweet that he was "following with great apprehension what seems like an immense tragedy".
Video captured the sound of a man screaming: "Oh God, oh, God."
Other pictures included one of a green truck that had stopped on the bridge just yards short of the gaping hole in the road surface.
The mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci said: "The collapse of the Morandi bridge is an immense tragedy for our city...But we must react immediately with strength and pride ".
#14agosto #Genova #crollo #PonteMorandi Polcevera Morandi @VAIstradeanas @DPCgov @emergenzavvf @Viminale @ComunediGenova @StradeAnas @112_ITALIA pic.twitter.com/SHJpMngAqD
— Polizia di Stato (@poliziadistato) August 14, 2018
The bridge is part of the A10 toll road which runs into the port city and is likely to have been busier than usual as it is the eve of Farragusto, a major Italian summer holiday marking the religious feast of the Assumption of Mary.
Traffic would have been heavier than usual as most cities and businesses are closed as Italians head to the beaches or the mountains.
Restructuring work on the bridge, which was constructed in the 1960s, was carried out in 2016.
The collapse is believed to have been caused by a structural weakness, the ANSA news agency said.
