4 dead in collapse of highway flyover in China

Beijing, December 19

Four people died and eight were injured after a section of a highway flyover in China’s central Hubei province collapsed, according to Chinese authorities.

The accident occurred at about 3.30 p.m. on Saturday in the city of Ezhou, with about 500 metre of the bridge built over an expressway collapsing onto the roadway below, according to transport and police authorities.

Three trucks on the bridge fell off it and one car was crushed under the debris, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, which cited local authorities. The expressway was closed due to the incident.

Work was being carried out on the bridge when the accident occurred, although it is not clear how many workers were present at the time.

Preliminary investigations revealed that a truck weighing a total of 198 tons had broken into two pieces while falling off the structure. The newspaper Beijing News said the truck was four times over the allowable weight limit on the flyover, which was built 11 years ago.

Transport Ministry officials were on the scene conducting an investigation, the reports said. AP