BERLIN (AP) — A section of a highway bridge that was under construction in southern Germany collapsed on Wednesday, killing one worker and seriously injuring a further six, police said.

A 40-meter (130-foot) section of the bridge collapsed, said police spokeswoman Kathrin Thamm. Twenty workers were at the site at the time. In addition to the one dead and six seriously injured people, several workers were slightly injured, she said.

It wasn't immediately clear what led to the collapse. The new bridge runs parallel to an existing bridge on the A7 highway near Werneck in northern Bavaria.

Officials initially reported that several people had been killed.