Nine workers dead after 450m-long bridge collapses in Colombian valley

The 450m-long bridge was to be part of a motorway connecting to the city of Villavicencio to Bogotá.

NINE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS have died after a bridge that they were working on collapsed into a valley in Chirajara, Colombia.

The bridge was to be part of a highway connecting the Colombian capital Bogotá with the city of Villavicencio. Yesterday, the middle section of the 450m-long bridge collapsed, killing nine workers and injuring at least five others.

The construction company charged with building the motorway bridge released a statement on its website saying that it would help the families of the workers who died or were injured in the incident.

“Coviandes, its shareholders, its board of directors and collaborators express their deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” the company said, listing the names of the employees who died.

COLOMBIA-META-BRIDGE COLLAPSE Xinhua News Agency / PA Images Xinhua News Agency / PA Images / PA Images

Likewise, the Concessionaire sympathizes with the workers who were injured who are being treated at different health centers in the region.

It added that experts will examine the scene of the collapse to investigate the causes of the event.

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