China bridge death toll hits 36

BEIJING  (AFP) - The death toll from the collapse of a new bridge in central China rose to 36 with at least 23 others still missing, state press reported Wednesday, as search and rescue efforts continued.

The 328-metre (1,076-foot) bridge over the Tuo river in Hunan province crumbled on Monday as workers were removing steel scaffolding erected during its construction, the State Administration of Work Safety said.

At least 123 workers were at the construction site when the bridge collapsed, it said in a statement. Of those, 64 escaped or were rescued from the rubble.
The official Xinhua news agency said that the latest death toll was 36 with at least 23 others missing.

Other press reports said there may have been swimmers or other people under the bridge when the disaster occurred.

While no reason has yet been given for the collapse of the bridge, which was only weeks away from being officially opened, officials have warned that anyone found to be negligent will be dealt with harshly.

Premier Wen Jiabao said those found responsible for the disaster would face the full force of the law, while State Councillor Hua Jianmin called for construction sites across China to improve safety procedures.

Xinhua reported on Tuesday that the manager and supervisor of the bridge project, which it said had an estimated cost of around 1.6 million dollars, had been quickly detained by police.

The bridge was built by Hunan Provincial Road and Bridge Construction Company, a firm owned by the Hunan provincial government.

Images of the scene on Chinese news websites and state television indicated the bridge had crumbled into the river, leaving a long stretch of huge concrete chunks resting on a bed of shattered rubble.

The bridge disaster has been seen in China as a warning that corners should not be cut when building bridges and other vital infrastructure, and that safety must be put ahead of profits.

"This bloody lesson should prompt a sweeping check of the safety procedures in place at all current bridge construction projects," the official China Daily said in an editorial.
The government had already announced plans Monday to fix or rebuild about 6,300 damaged or shoddily constructed bridges across the country by 2010.