CHINA: An overloaded truck triggers a bridge collapse in rural central China, state media reported

Record ID: 1962901

  • Title: CHINA: An overloaded truck triggers a bridge collapse in rural central China, state media reported
  • Date: 7th November 2011
  • Summary: XIANGCHENG CITY, HENAN PROVINCE, CHINA (NOVEMBER 5, 2011) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CCTV- NO ACCESS CHINA) VARIOUS OF COLLAPSED BRIDGE VARIOUS OF TRUCK IN WATER RIVER MINIVAN IN WATER RESCUER IN HEAVY MACHINERY (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF XIANGCHENG CITY BUREAU OF WATER RESOURCES, ZHANG YING SAYING: (OVERLAID WITH SHOT 7 & 8) "The bridge had not been repa
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  • Location: China, China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Accidents
  • Reuters ID: LVA8NPXWTNQJOXEEAD26DBM7QG8W
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: An overloaded truck triggers a bridge collapse in rural central China, state media reported.
    An aging bridge in rural central China collapsed in the early hours of Saturday (November 5), bringing four vehicles with it into a river but leaving their drivers and passengers mostly unscathed, state media reported.
    Two people suffered from light injuries in the accident that took place in central Henan Province's Xiangcheng city, state television reported.
    A local official said an overloaded truck drove on the 34-year-old bridge despite a traffic ban and thus triggered the collapse.
    "The bridge had not been repaired for a long time and was listed as a dangerous bridge, and the truck was overloaded. Both contributed to the accident. None of the five people involved in the accident was killed," said the deputy director of the county's bureau of water resources Zhang Ying.
    Although age and a lack of maintenance have propelled local governments to slap "danger" labels on some bridges, the drivers would still risk driving across them in order to save time and money, reported state media, adding that another aging bridge nearby had also been closed.
    The collapsed bridge was built in 1977 and was designed to support up to five tonnes, but Saturday's truck, loaded with sand, weighed 15 tonnes, state media said.
    Although workers managed to hoist the vehicles out of the river, the bridge itself is perhaps a lost cause -- most of it has already sunk into the river.
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