Nine dead after under-construction bridge collapses in Colombia

The Telegraph
Updated
The bridge in Guayabetal municipality is on the road that connects Bogota with the city of Villavicencio, Cundinamarca - AFP
The bridge in Guayabetal municipality is on the road that connects Bogota with the city of Villavicencio, Cundinamarca - AFP

At least nine construction workers were killed and five injured when a partially-constructed bridge collapsed in central Colombia on Monday, an official from the disaster response agency said.

The bridge, located in Chirajara on the border of Cundinamarca and Meta provinces, was to be part of the highway that connects the capital Bogota and the city of Villavicencio, and was not yet in public use.

The cause of the collapse, which sent pieces of the bridge down into a canyon below, is under investigation, Reinaldo Romero, head of disaster response for Meta province, told Reuters.

Half of the bridge fell into the valley in Chirajara near Bogot - Credit: JAIME SALDARRIAGA/ REUTERS
Half of the bridge fell into the valley in Chirajara near Bogot Credit: JAIME SALDARRIAGA/ REUTERS

“Up to now there are nine dead and five injured,” Romero said. “We are doing a check to rule out other victims.”

Transportation Minister German Cardona flew over the site of the collapse later on Monday and visited rescue staff on the ground with Dimitri Zaninovich, the head of the national infrastructure agency.