China bridge collapse death toll rises to 36

Chinese rescuers searching the rubble of a collapsed bridge for dozens of missing people recovered seven bodies today, bringing the death toll to 36, as the government warned builders nationwide to learn from the disaster.

The collapse on Monday of the bridge, which was under construction in the southern tourist town of Fenghuang, rekindled concerns about rushed, shoddy work amid China’s torrid economic expansion.

More than 1,500 People’s Liberation Army soldiers and police were scouring the site for victims and in some cases had to use explosives to crack large pieces of cement and stone so they could search underneath, the Beijing Post newspaper reported. The bridge had been capped by four large stone arches.

Witnesses described hearing a rumble and seeing stones fall from the structure on Monday afternoon after construction workers removed the supportive frame from the 140ft-high, 880ft-long vehicle and pedestrian bridge across the Tuo River.

The newspaper quoted survivor Hou Jiaping as saying the bridge “split apart like a piece of tofu cut by a knife”.

He blamed the collapse on a faulty design that lacked steel reinforcements.

“Between the time people heard a loud sound and the full collapse there was only one minute,” Hou was quoted as saying. “If it was built using cement and steel, it wouldn’t have collapsed so quickly.”

Li Ping, a local government spokesman, said seven bodies were found early today and the official Xinhua News Agency said 23 people remained unaccounted for.

Rescuers managed to save 86 people, including 22 who were injured, many from the 123 workers on the site at the time of the collapse, Xinhua said.