World News
Nanfangao Arched Suspension Bridge Collapses in Taiwan Bay
The 140-metre-long Nanfangao Bridge is a tourist attraction in Yilan. The Bridge opened in 1998 it replaced a lower bridge that prevented large fishing vessels from passing underneath.
Rescuers were scrambling to reach six people they feared were trapped after a bridge collapsed in Taiwan. The arched suspension bridge collapsed onto a group of fishing boats moored underneath it.
Emergency services said they believed six people were unaccounted for and could be trapped in the boats underneath the collapsed sbridge.
The rescue operation is ongoing,” emergency services said in a statement. Adding at least 12 people were injured, including six Philippine and three Indonesian fishing workers. As well as the Taiwanese driver of the petrol tanker that was crossing the bridge when it collapsed.
“We hope to safely rescue all in the shortest time to minimize the damage,” Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters. Divers were searching for those feared trapped government officials told Reuters.
CCTV Footage Captures Bridge Collapse in Taiwan
Dramatic CCTV images captured the moment the 140m long single-arch bridge came crashing down in Nanfang’ao, on Taiwan’s eastern coast.
Video footage showed an oil tanker truck almost getting across the bridge and then tumbling backward as the bridge collapsed into the water.
The bridge collapsed about 9.30am in Nanfangao, a tiny but often-crowded Pacific coast fishing village.
The weather at the time of the collapse was sunny, hours after a typhoon swept across parts of the island.
Disaster relief officials would not say if the storm had weakened the bridge or give other details on the potential cause. Government-run Central News Agency said a bridge pier also may have collapsed.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said she hoped all government departments would do everything possible to save people and “keep the number of deaths and injuries as low as possible,” CNA reported.
Typhoon Mitag had brought high winds and heavy rain to northern Taiwan on Monday night before moving northeast.
The 140-metre-long Nanfangao Bridge is a tourist attraction in Yilan. The Bridge opened in 1998 it replaced a lower bridge that prevented large fishing vessels from passing underneath.
The company that designed the 18-metre-high high bridge, MAA Consultants, said it’s the only single-span arch bridge in Taiwan. It was the second single arch-cable steel bridge in the world.
Source: CNA, Bangkok Post
