A bridge under construction over a river in central China has collapsed, killing at least 22 people and injuring 22 others, amid fears that thousands of bridges across the country could be unsafe.
More than 40 people were rescued in Monday's rush-hour accident but dozens more are still missing, state media said.
The incident comes as state media reported that China would fix more than 6,000 damaged or dangerous bridges across the country.
An editorial in the China Daily warned that thousands of bridges had been categorised as "unsafe".
"If left unrepaired these bridges may crumble at any time, wreaking economic havoc and possibly claiming human lives," it said.
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Officials expect the toll from Monday's bridge
accident in Hunan province to rise [EPA] |
The 320-metre concrete bridge being built across the Jiantuo river in Hunan province was scheduled for completion later this month.
It collapsed as workers were removing scaffolding from its facade, the Xinhua news agency said.
Some 400 police officers were deployed to the scene, while bulldozers and rescue workers were picking through a massive pile of debris stretching between two hills at the banks of the river.
The authorities were investigating the accident, said Xinhua.
In June, a bridge collapsed in the southern province of Guangdong when a cargo vessel loaded with sand rammed into it, killing nine people.
Yang Shunzhong, a witness to Monday's incident, said he saw bodies of construction workers and passers-by lying on the road, and blood everywhere.
"A lot of women and children were on the scene, crying and looking for their families or friends," he said.