Reuters AlertNet Lite - Toll 34 after China bridge collapsed "like beancurd"

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Toll 34 after China bridge collapsed "like beancurd"

15 Aug 2007 04:35:46 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - A bridge that collapsed in China killing at least 34 people broke apart like a pat of "beancurd" because there were apparently no steel reinforcement bars, state media said on Wednesday, quoting a rescuer.

More than 1,500 people were searching for about 30 missing people following Monday's disaster on the 320-metre-long (1,050-foot) bridge on the verge of completion across the Tuo river in the southern province of Hunan, the Beijing News said.

But they held out little hope of finding survivors and health authorities were spraying disinfectant into the water to prevent the spread of disease from bodies spreading down river.

"Because the bridge and pillars have all collapsed, it will be very difficult for rescuers to find or save people buried in the debris," deputy rescue director Luo Ming was quoted as saying, adding they had to blast open the concrete to retrieve bodies.

Twenty-two injured, mostly workers building the bridge, were in a state of shock, the newspaper said.

"They are generally very scared. Some are unconscious, and others who can talk are very tense," a doctor was quoted as saying.

Most parts of scenic Fenghuang county have had their water supplies cut off since the accident as the collapse of the bridge damaged water pipelines, it added.

Police have detained a construction manager and a project supervisor for questioning. Premier Wen Jiabao urged the local government to deal with the issue "seriously", the newspaper said.

The work safety and quality watchdogs were investigating the cause of the collapse, but the newspaper quoted a rescue worker as saying that the bridge was mainly built of stone and concrete.

"No reinforced steel bars were seen in the collapsed bridge supports. It was like a knife cutting through tofu (beancurd)," Hou Jiaping, a rescue worker, was quoted as saying.

Pictures in newspapers supported his comments. Sections of the bridge lay flat on the ground, lumps of rock bursting through the concrete and no steel bars to be seen.

An editorial in the official China Daily on Tuesday warned that thousands of the country's bridges were unsafe.

"If left unrepaired, these bridges may crumble at any time, wreaking economic havoc and possibly claiming human lives," it said.

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Last updated:Wed Aug 15 04:42:36 2007