Towboat owner in Ghenh bridge collapse case arrested

Dong Nai (VNA) – Police in the southern province of Dong Nai on March 21 detained 62 year-old Phan The Thuong, owner of the towboat with registered number plate of SG 3745, which caused the collapse of Ghenh bridge across Dong Nai river the previous day.

According to initial investigation, Phan The Thuong from Soc Trang province let two persons without ship driving licence to control the towboat, which violates the law.

The two men at the wheel of the towboat at the time it caused the accident were Tran Van Giang, age 36, residing in Bac Lieu province and Nguyen Van Le, age 28 from Soc Trang province.

The towboat was towing a barge with a plate number of SG 5984 and carrying about 600 tonnes of sand from Long An to Dong Nai. It crashed into a bridge pillar on the morning of March 20, causing people to fall into the river. Two spans of the bridge collapsed after the crash.

Giang and Le fled immediately and were seized by the provincial police on March 21.

The Ghenh bridge was built by the French in the 1900s during colonial period and has been used for both railway and land transportation.

As the bridge is on the North-South railway route, railway services have been stopped. Trains on the route must now stop at Bien Hoa Station.

To support passengers travelling between Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai, HCM City’s transport sector increased bus service from Sai Gon Station to Bien Hoa and vice versa.-VNA