(Recasts)
TAIPEI, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Rescuers in Taiwan searched on
Wednesday for the last fisherman believed to have been crushed
in his boat when a bridge collapsed into a harbour, killing at
least five people, as questions were raised about construction
standards.
Divers joined hundreds of rescuers in the search effort,
using cranes and excavators to raise the wreckage of two fishing
boats after Tuesday's accident injured 10 people, most of them
fishermen from Indonesia and the Philippines.
"Rescuers found the body of a foreign fisherman ... while
the search for one missing foreign fisherman continues," the
National Fire Agency said in a statement in the early afternoon.
Dramatic video images released by Taiwan's Coast Patrol
Corps showed the arched bridge in the northeastern town of Suao
collapsing just as an oil tanker was crossing. Plumes of black
smoke went up when the cargo of fuel burst into flames.
It was not immediately known what caused the collapse, which
crushed three boats and set the tanker ablaze.
The bridge, dubbed the "lovers' bridge", was built in 1998
and was a tourist attraction.
The incident shocked many in Taiwan, which is regularly hit
by earthquakes and typhoons and has high building standards,
prompting authorities to launch a review of bridges.
The government has set up a task force to investigate, with
President Tsai Ing-wen vowing not to "evade responsibilities".
Suao's mayor, Lee Ming-che, told Reuters residents had
raised concern about the bridge's load limit, saying trucks
carrying blocks of concrete for a construction project near the
harbour had caused "shakings" when crossing the bridge.
Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC), which managed
the bridge's maintenance and oversees nearby the project, said
it had completed a safety review before allowing the trucks to
use the bridge.
"The project was evaluated and proven to be fine," said Wang
Chin-jung, associate general manager of TIPC, referring to the
bridge's load limit.
"We will check if there's any problem with the bridge's
design, construction and maintenance ... We will not evade
responsibilities, if we have any," Wang said.
TIPC said the bridge was regularly checked and maintained,
and that the company had observed safety regulations.
The bridge was last reinforced in 2018 and another security
check was due next year, the company said. Problems such as
rusty steel and cracks in concrete had been fixed during a check
last October, it said.
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Taiwan bridge collapse IMG https://tmsnrt.rs/2o4ttPb
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