A bridge under construction in an ancient Chinese city collapsed as workers removed scaffolding from its facade, killing at least 29 people, the government said Tuesday.
The 140-foot-high bridge spanning the Tuo River in the central Hunan city of Fenghuang collapsed Monday, the Hunan Administration of Work Safety said in a statement posted to the official Gov.cn Web site. The span in Hunan's Fenghuang county, intended for both pedestrian and vehicle traffic, had four decorative stone arches and was scheduled to open at the end of the month, the administration said.
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, the government's Xinhua News Agency reported. The death toll rose steadily as rescuers with trained dogs and bulldozers sifted through toppled concrete.
Premier Wen Jiabao ordered a thorough investigation into the collapse of the 880-foot bridge, China Central Television reported.
The accident came less than two weeks after the collapse of a bridge in Minnesota that drew attention to aging transport infrastructure in the United States.
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