ROME (AP) - Italian authorities have raised the number of confirmed deaths to 39 in the Genoa highway bridge collapse.

Angelo Borrelli, the head of the civil protection department, announced the latest death toll at a news conference in Genoa on Wednesday. Borrelli said some 1,000 rescuers have been working since after the collapse Tuesday to search for "any possible missing" persons.

He added that 15 people were injured when an 80-meter (260-foot) stretch of highway broke off, sending vehicles plunging from the bridge.