Overloaded vehicles blamed for NE China bridge collapse

HARBIN, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A collapse of a bridge ramp that occurred in northeast China's Heilongjiang province in August was caused by overloaded vehicles, an investigation team said Wednesday.

The team's investigation showed that overloaded trucks caused an ramp on the Yangmingtan Bridge to collapse on Aug. 24, killing three people and injuring three others.

Four trucks that were using the ramp were carrying 395.4 tonnes of cargo at the time, despite having a maximum loading capacity of 102 tonnes, according to Liu Xingming, deputy director of the Harbin Municipal Administration of Work Safety.

The four trucks were driving on the same side of the ramp, causing it to become unbalanced, he said.

The bridge's design met related requirements, a report issued by the team said.

The ramp was constructed within a period of 90 days at a cost of 7.09 million yuan (1.13 million U.S. dollars).

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