The collapse of a bridge spanning a river in the south of France may have been caused by a lorry weighing twice the maximum limit allowed, an local official said.
The bridge detached from suspension cables and plunged into the river Tarn yesterday, resulting in the deaths of a 15-year-old girl and a truck driver.
"We think that the truck weighed over 40 tonnes. The lorry was well over the limit and the bridge broke," said mayor of the town of Mirepoix-sur-Tarn north of Toulouse, Eric Oget.
The bridge, which was built in 1931, could take a maximum weight of 19 tonnes. It had passed recent safety inspections.
France's junior environment minister Emmanuelle Wargon confirmed that "one of the theories is that truck went on the bridge with a weight exceeding the maximum".
"But it is the state prosecutor who will establish the facts," she added, speaking to LCI TV.
The girl was travelling in the car with her mother, who was rescued from the water by bystanders.
The truck driver's body was found after a day-long search by more than 60 rescue workers, including divers.
