Prosecution of barge crash that caused bridge collapse, 6 people injured

More than 10 months after a barge carrying cardboard collapsed on Cai Trang Bridge in Ca Mau, injuring 6 people, the police have just initiated a criminal case.

Ca Mau Province Police have just initiated a case in which a barge broke its rope, drifted freely, and crashed into Cai Trang Bridge in Hang Vinh Commune, Nam Can District, which occurred in January.

Scene of the barge crash that caused Cai Trang bridge to collapse, injuring 6 people. Photo: Phuc Hung.

Previously, the Department of Transport of Ca Mau province requested the owner of the barge that caused the bridge collapse to repair Cai Trang bridge within 40 days (from June 6), but it was not done.

The vehicle owner then sent a petition to the People's Committee of Ca Mau province asking for a reduction in compensation of 300 million VND, but faced a reaction from the transport industry because the construction consultant estimated the construction cost to repair the two collapsed spans and piers at 1.4 billion VND.

The case was assigned to the police to investigate, determine the cause; examine the damage, as well as the responsibility for handling the vehicle that caused the incident. After the investigation, the police initiated criminal proceedings.

On the morning of January 13, a sand barge moored on the Xom Lon River suddenly broke its mooring rope, drifted freely for several hundred meters, and then crashed into the Cai Trang bridge pier. The bridge span broke in half and collapsed into the river.

The incident injured 6 people. Among them, 3 grandmother and grandchildren (two children aged 5 and 10) were seriously injured and were transferred to the Provincial General Hospital for emergency treatment.

Cai Trang Bridge is 50 m long and 3.5 m wide, spanning Xom Lon Ngoai hamlet, Hang Vinh commune, and opened to traffic in 2005.

According to VNE