A Japanese-funded bridge under construction in southern Vietnam collapsed on Wednesday, killing up to 60 workers and injuring around 150 in the country’s worst such disaster. A contractor with a Chinese company working on the bridge being built in Can Tho city said 60 people were killed. State-run Vietnam TV said 48 casualties had been confirmed with scores unaccounted for. One police officer reached by telephone said as many as 100 could be dead or missing. At least 150 people were being treated for injuries and hospitals were running out of beds, officials said. Official media said the collapse of a section of bridge on land next to the Hau River was the worst bridge accident in Vietnam, which is ramping up infrastructure projects to keep pace with an economy growing at more than 8 per cent a year. Most of the dead and injured were Vietnamese. The Japanese embassy in Hanoi said it had not confirmed yet whether or not any Japanese were on site at the time of the collapse when about 250 workers were on the bridge.
