A bridge undergoing works in western Greece collapsed on Sunday, killing one person and wounding eight others, Greek authorities said.

The fire department said it was called out shortly after midday local time when part of a bridge collapsed in Patras, in the Proastio area on the road to the capital Athens. 

Eight injured had been sent to hospitals and one person was killed in the collapse, the fire department said.

Some 35 firefighters and 12 vehicles were dispatched to the scene, as well as drones and special rescue vehicles.

Fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said traffic had been closed on the bridge since July 20 "due to demolition work for the reconstruction of the lower crossing."

The reasons for the collapse of the bridge, which links Patras port on the Peloponnese peninsula in southwestern Greece to Athens, were not immediately clear.

Efthymios Lekkas, president of the Earthquake Protection Organization OASP, told ERT television that the bridge had stability problems that were known to the authorities. 

Restoration work began in 2021 at a cost of over six million euros, according to ERT.