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Dubai: There was a loud bang and within minutes rescue helicopters hovered over the sky.
Seven workers were killed and more than 20 injured when a bridge under construction collapsed on Sufouh Road on Thursday, police said. The accident occurred at around 6.20pm.
Jamal Al Merri, Deputy Commandant of Dubai Police, told Gulf News there was a fault in the cement pillar of the bridge. He said: "The pillar collapsed killing seven people instantly and injuring 24. There are no workers under the rubble. All other workers have been accounted for."
One worker said: "We were placing steel fabrication when the bridge collapsed. There was a loud noise. All of us rushed to see what had happened."
Another worker said they were running to help their colleagues but before they could reach them, rescue helicopters had arrived and started airlifting the injured to Rashid Hospital.
Moieen Fikri, Head of Emergency at the Department of Health and Medical Services, said 20 workers were admitted to hospital. "Eight workers suffered moderate injuries and 12 minor. We will monitor two or three workers for 24 hours and the rest will discharged later tonight.”
Initial investigations into the accident have revealed the accident occurred during the reinforcement of the bridge. The load of concrete and heavy iron rods led to the collapse.
Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said human error led to the accident.
"The incident occurred because of a mistake during the handling of the crane which was carrying a huge load of iron rods. They were placed on the upper part of the bridge. It was too heavy for the bridge under construction and that led to the collapse," Al Tayer said in a statement.
The RTA chief who immediately dispatched a team of RTA experts to the spot said: "This is a human mistake and the contractor bears all the responsibility.”
The RTA has also formed a committee comprising officials from the RTA, Dubai Police and Public Prosecutors to investigate and determine the cause of the accident.
Al Tayer said that such accidents happen during construction work.
"We have a very low percentage of such accidents because we always stress on applying safety standards in all road projects being implemented in Dubai.
"We will conduct the investigation and the parties responsible for the accident will be taken to task," said Al Tayer.
The RTA is currently carrying out projects including expansion and construction of new roads, bridges, flyovers, tunnels and interchanges at a cost of Dh8 billion to cope with the expanding city and increasing traffic congestion.
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