A planned trip to the Genoa aquarium could have ended in tragedy for a Maltese family living in Italy who narrowly escaped being on the bridge that collapsed after deciding not to go because of bad weather.

Malta’s Ambassador to Italy, Vanessa Fraizer, said that though none of the people involved in the tragedy on Tuesday were Maltese, one family should thank its lucky stars.

“We called every single person registered with us to confirm they are safe, and among them was a family who lives in Milan but was in Genoa for Ferragosto (the mid-August holiday). They had planned a trip to the aquarium, which is very close to the motorway that collapsed,” Ms Fraizer said.

She said the family holidaying in the port city was evidently shaken by what had happened, since their visit to the aquarium would have meant crossing the bridge around the time it collapsed.

They wanted to take the children to the aquarium but changed their mind

“They wanted to take the children to the aquarium but changed their mind at the last minute because it had been raining all day. Had they not cancelled their plans, they could have been on that bridge when it came down,” Ms Frazier said.

She noted that the Maltese embassy remained in close contact with the authorities in Italy and was getting regular updates on the situation.

Malta had not made any formal offer of assistance to the Italian rescuers or the authorities, however, the embassy had informally communicated its support, offering any help that might be required, the ambassador said.

The bridge passes over a densely populated area, raising fears there could also be victims on the ground aside from the motorists crossing the bridge when it collapsed. So far, 39 people have been confirmed dead.