Scores feared dead in China bridge collapse

Updated 09.40 Tue Aug 14 2007

Keywords: collapse, bridge, China

Scores of people are feared dead after a bridge being built as a tourist attraction in central China collapsed.

China's official Xinhua News Agency said 22 people were killed and 64 rescued when the 320m (1,049ft) bridge plummeted into the Jiantuo River in Hunan province.

"I saw a lot of bodies lying on the road, some of them were construction workers, and some were passers-by. Blood was everywhere" - witness Yang Shunzhong

However, according to reports, police said around 60 bodies had been recovered and rescue workers are searching for more missing beneath the ruins and in the river below.

"I saw a lot of bodies lying on the road, some of them were construction workers, and some were passers-by. Blood was everywhere," witness Yang Shunzhong said.

He added: "A car was crushed flat under the bridge, it was so ruined that I could not even tell the size of the car. A lot of women and children were on the scene, crying and looking for their families or friends."

The incident came less than two weeks after the collapse of a bridge in Minnesota that drew attention to ageing transport infrastructure in the United States.