Overloaded trucks at fault for bridge collapse_美文

Overloaded trucks at fault for bridge collapse

Three of the trucks had been illegally modified so they could haul more cargo, authorities said.

But Liu said road management authorities had noticed the overloading before some of those trucks entered Harbin.

The official said three trucks loaded with stones from Jilin province were found overloaded and fined 450 yuan ($71) when passing a tollgate on their way to Harbin on the morning of Aug 23.

Liu said road management authorities in Jilin's Dehui city, where the toll gate was located, should bear partial responsibility for the accident because they fined the trucks for being overloaded but did not ask them to unload the extra weight.

The dereliction of duty of traffic police in Heilongjiang's Shuangcheng city and road management authorities in Harbin also indirectly caused the accident, he said.

The five injured are still in the hospital, including one in serious condition, according to Ren Ruichen, vice-mayor of Harbin.

The collapsed ramp is 3.5 km from the main span of the $300-million Yangmingtan Bridge, which was in use for less than a year.

The latest bridge collapse in Harbin renewed worries over the quality of Chinese infrastructure amid a construction boom across the nation.

Some 37 bridges have collapsed across the country since 2007, killing 182 people and injuring177, according to the International Finance News, a newspaper affiliated with People's Daily.