Authorities are investigating the collapse of a newly completed bridge in Isabela, suspecting an overloaded dump truck as a key factor.

The driver of the truck, a resident of Tabuk City, Kalinga surrendered to the Cabagan Police Station morning on Friday, February 28, 2025, after fleeing the scene the night before.

The driver reportedly panicked after a portion of the bridge collapsed around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 27.

Six people, including an eight-year-old cancer survivor, were injured in the incident and taken to the hospital.

"Nabalian po ng binti. The rest ay minor injuries lang naman po, cuts and bruises," Atty. Constante Foronda, from the Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDDRMC), said in an interview on Super Radyo DZBB.

The truck was headed at a construction site in Isabela from Kalinga.

The bridge, designed for light vehicles, was completed on February 1, 2025, after more than a decade of construction at a cost of P1.2 billion.

In a report on GMA's "24 Oras", the construction began in 2014 but was delayed repeatedly due to inconsistent funding.

In March 2023, the bridge underwent retrofitting to strengthen certain sections in line with the updated Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) design code. Officials clarified that this did not indicate flaws in the original design.

"Ang main reason ng retrofitting natin is to additional strengthening para sa earthquake effect po," Matias Malenab, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Regional Director for DPWH Region 2, said in an interview on GMA's "24 Oras" on Friday, February 28.

DPWH said the truck weighed 102 tons, more than double the legal 45-ton maximum load capacity for all bridges nationwide.

"So ang ginawa natin ngayon, Sir, 'yung batong mismo pina-test matin para makuha natin 'yung actual specific gravity ng boulders mismo, para totoo po siya," Malenab said.

The DPWH is now investigating other factors, including the role of contractor RD Interior Junior Construction and whether the project's budget was cut short.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 2 assured the public that an alternative route remains accessible.

"Before pa po na-open itong bridge na ito 'no, mayroon pong old overflow bridge na malapit lang po doon sa ating nasabing bridge. Ito iyong ginagamit ngayon for now. And this is connecting the municipality of Cabagan and also the municipality of Sta. Maria, Isabela," OCD Region 2 Public Information Officer Mia Carbonell said.