DFA searching for Pinoy engineer in collapsed Vietnam bridge

The Philippine embassy in Vietnam is checking into a report that a Filipino engineer engaged in the bridge that collapsed Wednesday in a southern province there has been missing. At least 43 people were killed and 87 injured when a section of a massive Japanese-funded Can Tho bridge under construction collapsed. Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Laura Q. del Rosario reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday that there has been no verified Filipino casualty so far. “She has requested the Philippine honorary consul in Ho Chi Minh City to look into the report about one male Filipino engineer associated with the project who remains unaccounted for," said DFA spokesman Claro Cristobal. An Associated Press report said the search for bodies continues. Six bodies were discovered Thursday morning and another six were reported missing. All the victims were Vietnamese construction workers. Hospital officials said the death toll was likely to rise as many of the victims had serious injuries. In one ward at Can Tho's Military Hospital, three of the 11 patients were in critical condition and several had serious brain injuries. The cause of the collapse is under investigation. The bridge will cross the Hau River, a branch of the Mekong River, linking Vinh Long province and Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta. Thousands of people currently make the crossing each day by ferry. The section of the bridge that collapsed was above a small island on the Vinh Long side of the bridge, just beyond the ramp that connects the span to land. The 2.75-kilometre (1.7-mile) bridge is one of the largest construction projects in Vietnam, which is scrambling to build new roads, ports and bridges to keep pace with its booming economy. On Wednesday, in the chaotic aftermath of the collapse, officials on the scene said 52 people had died, but they lowered the official death toll on Thursday morning. - GMANews.TV, with AP