Nine construction workers die after major bridge collapses in Colombia

A bridge under construction which collapsed in central Colombia has left at least nine workers dead and five injured.

The bridge in the Chirajara region of the country was part of plans to connect the capital, Bogotá, with the city of Villavicencio. The National Infrastructure Agency, which estimates the bridge to be 446m long, have said they will now carry out an investigation into the tragic incident at the request of president Juan Manuel Santos.  Santos has since spoken to say all his “solidarity is with relatives of the victims”. A search and rescue mission continues to locate additional missing persons.

The bridge is part of an ambitious programme to improve the route leading from Bogotá to the eastern plains by turning parts of it into a dual carriageway. The planned works include the construction of 18 new tunnels and 42 bridges and viaducts as well as new lighting and CCTV cameras.

"The victims are construction workers who were working on the project's drainage," the Colombian Civil Defense said. "We are still working to verify the total number of people who were working at the time."

Coviandes, the company behind the project, have released the names of the nine people who have died and have said it will do everything possible to help the families of those involved. 

The construction road is known for being very narrow and steep, dropping-off 2,000 metres from the height of the Sabana de Bogotá, to reach the lowlands of the Eastern plains. Segments of the highway were closed Monday afternoon to facilitate the work of emergency crews, confirmed Colombia’s Ministry of Transportation and roads entity, Invías. 

Pictures emerging from Colombia show large sections of the bridge have fallen down into a canyon below. Officials say more could have died if it wasn’t for a safety briefing that meant many workers were not on the bridge at the time of the collapse.