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INDONESIA-DISASTER
Seven killed, three missing in Indonesia bridge collapse
BENGKULU, Indonesia, Jan 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Seven people drowned and
three others are missing after a bridge collapsed on Indonesia’s Sumatra
island, the disaster agency said Monday.
Some 30 people, mostly students, were on the bridge Sunday afternoon in
the town of Kaur when the newly built crossing suddenly collapsed, hurtling
some teens into the water below while others clutched on to the railing.
The water level in the river below the bridge was higher than usual with
strong currents after torrential downpours pounded the region.
“The bridge probably could not contain the weight and it collapsed —
seven were killed and three more are still missing,” Ujang Syafiri, head of
the disaster mitigation agency, told AFP Monday.
Some students who fell into the water were rescued, while a search and
rescue team scoured a 20-kilometre radius to find the missing victims, all
teenagers, he added.
Parts of the Southeast Asian archipelago have been deluged with torrential
downpours as the rainy season kicks into high gear.
In and around the capital Jakarta, some 67 people were killed this month
as record rains triggered flooding and landslides around the capital region.
Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building
and construction safety in Indonesia.
BSS/AFP/FI/1020 hrs