Photo taken on Dec 18, 2021, shows the scene of an accident in the city of Ezhou, central China's Hubei province. (WU ZHIZUN / XINHUA)
WUHAN – Four people died and eight others were injured as part of an expressway bridge collapsed in the city of Ezhou, central China's Hubei province on Saturday afternoon.
The accident took place at around 3:36 pm Saturday when part of the ramp spanning over an expressway collapsed, according to the provincial transport and police departments. Three trucks on the bridge fell off and a car was crushed under the collapsed single-column bridge, closing the two-way traffic of the expressway, officials said.
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An unknown number of people were working on the bridge when the accident happened. Preliminary investigation showed that an overloaded truck with a weight of 198 tons broke into two pieces on the bridge, sending two other vehicles down with it.
The provincial governor and a deputy provincial governor have rushed to the scene to lead the rescue. Traffic police officers and firefighters continued to carry out emergency relief.
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Investigation on the cause of the accident is still underway.