9 killed, 11 injured after fireworks explosion causes bridge collapse
By Li Qian |
February 2, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A TRUCK packed with fireworks intended for Lunar New Year celebrations exploded yesterday, destroying part of a bridge in central China and sending at least 25 vehicles plummeting more than 20 meters to the ground below.
Rescuers pulled out 20 people from the debris but nine of them died. Seven died at the scene of the accident in Henan Province, Xinhua news agency said, with two others dying on their way to hospital.
Of the 11 injured victims, four were in a serious condition.
The explosion occurred at 8:52am on a section of the G30 highway in Mianchi County, Sanmenxia City, that links the cities of Lianyungang in east China's Jiangsu Province and Horgos in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the country's far west.
The site is about 193 kilometers west of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.
An 80-meter section of the southern lanes of the bridge collapsed after the explosion.
Rescue headquarters said eight vehicles had been lifted from the debris, including six trucks. No passenger buses were involved.
One of the trucks had been transporting several sedans.
"It was a disaster. I had never seen such a scene before," local villager Li Mengliang said.
He said there were blood-stained clothes and body parts scattered all around, China News Service reported. The blast shattered many villagers' windows and destroyed doors, the report said.
Search and rescue efforts were quickly under way, and traffic controls put in place on the expressway.
Authorities rushed more than 800 rescue workers, along with four sniffer dogs, to the scene.
The first batch of 200 rescuers sifted through the debris with the help of three cranes. But the haze which shrouded the area was making the rescue operation difficult, according to China Central Television.
Huang Ming, vice minister of public security, was directing the rescue work and will lead an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
Although an initial investigation blamed the fireworks explosion for the collapse, Internet users questioned the quality of the bridge.
"How can fireworks be so powerful? Is the viaduct a piece of shoddy construction work?" was one online comment.
The bridge has been in use for 12 years and it passed the latest safety check in 2011, an official from the provincial road network authority told Xinhua news agency last night.
Accidents involving fireworks are likely to occur around this time of the year in China, as setting them off is a traditional way to celebrate the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10.
A fireworks blast in north China's Hebei Province on January 18 destroyed a two-story home where the explosives were stored, killing three people and injuring 11 others.
Rescuers pulled out 20 people from the debris but nine of them died. Seven died at the scene of the accident in Henan Province, Xinhua news agency said, with two others dying on their way to hospital.
Of the 11 injured victims, four were in a serious condition.
The explosion occurred at 8:52am on a section of the G30 highway in Mianchi County, Sanmenxia City, that links the cities of Lianyungang in east China's Jiangsu Province and Horgos in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the country's far west.
The site is about 193 kilometers west of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.
An 80-meter section of the southern lanes of the bridge collapsed after the explosion.
Rescue headquarters said eight vehicles had been lifted from the debris, including six trucks. No passenger buses were involved.
One of the trucks had been transporting several sedans.
"It was a disaster. I had never seen such a scene before," local villager Li Mengliang said.
He said there were blood-stained clothes and body parts scattered all around, China News Service reported. The blast shattered many villagers' windows and destroyed doors, the report said.
Search and rescue efforts were quickly under way, and traffic controls put in place on the expressway.
Authorities rushed more than 800 rescue workers, along with four sniffer dogs, to the scene.
The first batch of 200 rescuers sifted through the debris with the help of three cranes. But the haze which shrouded the area was making the rescue operation difficult, according to China Central Television.
Huang Ming, vice minister of public security, was directing the rescue work and will lead an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.
Although an initial investigation blamed the fireworks explosion for the collapse, Internet users questioned the quality of the bridge.
"How can fireworks be so powerful? Is the viaduct a piece of shoddy construction work?" was one online comment.
The bridge has been in use for 12 years and it passed the latest safety check in 2011, an official from the provincial road network authority told Xinhua news agency last night.
Accidents involving fireworks are likely to occur around this time of the year in China, as setting them off is a traditional way to celebrate the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10.
A fireworks blast in north China's Hebei Province on January 18 destroyed a two-story home where the explosives were stored, killing three people and injuring 11 others.
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