A bridge collapsed into a harbour in northeastern Taiwan on Tuesday (Oct 1) , crushing several fishing boats with some crew feared trapped, authorities said, although the number of casualties was not immediately clear it is now known that a total of six fishing workers from Indonesia and the Philippines were killed in the incident, which also left 12 people injured according to the National Fire Agency.
“The bridge collapsed at around 9.30am while an oil tanker vehicle was on it, setting the vehicle on fire,” said Shih I-chun, the secretary of the town’s mayor.
The collapse of the bridge, which carries traffic over the busy fishing port, damaged three fishing boats and two vehicles, including the tanker, the officials said, though the reason for the collapse in clear weather was not immediately clear.
Late on Monday (30 Sept), typhoon Mitag, packing maximum winds of 162 kph, swept past northeastern Taiwan, injuring 12 people and cutting power to more than 66,000 homes, with more than 150 flights cancelled.
Taiwanese rescuers on Thursday (Oct 3) retrieved the body of the last missing person killed when a bridge collapsed two days ago, smashing onto fishing boats moored underneath.
Dramatic CCTV footage captured the moment the 140-metre long single-arch bridge came crashing down early on Tuesday morning in Nanfang’ao, on Taiwan’s east coast.
In the video, a vertical cable at the centre of the bridge’s steel arch suddenly snaps.
The road then collapses into the water, crashing down on three fishing boats as a petrol tanker, which nearly made it across, also plunged into the water and burst into flames.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/taiwan-bridge-collapse-last-body-retrieved-11966300
