Bridge fall prompts checks

HCM CITY — Following Saturday's fatal bridge collapse, the People's Committee of Can Tho City in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta has ordered the Department of Transport to carry out safety checks on all bridges on Provincial Road 923.

Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy director of the people's committee, requested the checks after a landslide on Saturday that collapsed Tra Nien Bridge, one of seven bridges on the road, killing two people.

All of the bridges to be inspected were built since 2004 when the ongoing Provincial Road 923 project kicked off to build an 11-km road linking Phong Dien Town and Ninh Kieu District.

The contractor has been accused of shoddy work and delays.

Six landslides including Saturday's incident have occurred around the bridges since 2006, collapsing 14 houses, killing two people and injuring two others.

Tran Huu Ly, a resident of the district's An Binh Ward, said the construction of Cai Son Bridge caused cracks in his new VND300 million (US$15,709) house.

Nguyen Tan Quyen, secretary of the city Party Committee, urged local agencies to move people away from vulnerable areas.

Le Tan Hoc, director of the transport department, admitted there had been many delays to the project because of difficulties in clearing the sites. — VNS