Investigation begins as bridge collapse takes deadly toll

Search and rescue work was drawing to an end Saturday at the site of an expressway bridge collapse in Sanmenxia, Henan Province, as the death toll of the accident, caused by the explosion of a firework-laden truck, rose to at least 10 with another 11 injured.

Villagers from nearby Mianchi county gathered around the site as they watched police officers and firefighters lift the twisted ruins of vehicles with cranes. The scene was strewn with fallen cars, wheels, fragments of the bridge, and torn clothes. Several construction experts were up on the remnants of the bridge investigating the cause of the collapse.

A truck carrying fireworks exploded, destroying an 80-meter-long northern section of the Yichang expressway bridge at around 9 am Friday, said officials. The Ministry of Public Security has sent a team to look into the accident, and official sources said the initial investigation shows the accident was caused by hazardous weather that morning, without specifying details.

A firefighter on site, surnamed Wu, told the Global Times it was probably a crash involving several vehicles due to the heavy fog on Friday that caused the firecrackers to explode.

"The rescue is almost over as we don't see any more signs of life," said Wu. It may take authorities two months to get the bridge rebuilt, he said.

Pictures showing the broken bridge also prompted doubts among the public on whether the collapse was caused solely by the explosion or its own quality problems. Several bridges have collapsed over the past year, amid public skepticism about the quality of construction. A media officer with the Sanmenxia government, surnamed Ren, told the Global Times that engineers are helping investigate and it is too early to jump to conclusions.

The explosion has brought shock and great concerns about traffic to nearby residents. Traffic in Yima county, which is close to the accident site, has been extremely busy following the collapse.

Hou Jianmei, a 60-year-old resident of Yichang village who lives 500 meters away from the site, told the Global Times she "saw black smoke reaching the sky while at least three vehicles falling from the broken bridge."

"I thought it was an earthquake as I heard the ear-deafening sound and the table began shaking, and as I grabbed my grandson and rushed out the house, where the gate was forcedly open with a bang," said Hou, pointing to the broken glasses and deformed gate and lock caused by the power of the explosion.

Hou said she saw vehicles on the bridge as it collapsed. Some couldn't make it to a stop and tumbled, and one car had a narrow escape with its rear-wheels hanging on the edge where it collapsed.

The expressway, which connects Lianyungang in east China and Khorgas in northwest Xinjiang, serves as a major traffic artery and stretches some 4,395 kilometers, covering six Chinese provinces. The bridge opened to traffic in 2001 after three years of construction, and a last test in 2011 showed no safety risks.