Bridge collapses 14 days after inauguration in southern Vietnam
Thursday, May 28, 2015, 22:02 GMT+7
A reinforced concrete bridge spanning the 28th Canal in Long An Province in the Mekong Delta collapsed on Wednesday after opening 14 days earlier.
The VND2.5 billion (US$115,000) bridge, which was for motorbikes and pedestrians only, is on provincial road 831 in Vinh Binh Commune of Vinh Hung District.
Nguyen Van Chinh, vice director of the Long An Transport Department, said the bridge, with a load capacity of one metric ton, was invested in by the People’s Committee of Vinh Binh with financial contributions from locals totaling VND500 million ($23,000).
It was inaugurated and put into use on May 13 to replace a ferry.
On May 26, cracks began appearing at the foundation of a pillar of the bridge. It collapsed the following day, soon after local authorities had blocked the bridge to attempt repairs.
The collapse was caused by the sliding foundation of one of the pillars of the bridge, said Chinh.
An investigation into the collapse is underway.
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