SEARCH, rescue and retrieval workers yesterday continued to look for survivors in Loay town in Bohol where a bridge filled with vehicles collapsed on Wednesday.
Bohol government officials said four persons, including an Austrian, died and 20 were listed as survivors with minor injuries but officials are not certain how many are still missing.
The PNP and the Philippine Coast Guard, which are playing key role in the search, rescue and retrieval operations, said they have listed 23 survivors.
Clarin Bridge, which was built in the 1970s, collapsed at around 4 p.m last Wednesday, submerging 12 to 15 vehicles, according to Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap.
Yap said the bridge was designed for flowing traffic, and could not take the weight of the vehicles that accumulated due to traffic congestion.
Yap said one of the submerged vehicles was a dump truck that made a counterflow on the one-way bridge. The truck was carrying gravel and sand that were to be used for a bridge being constructed nearby.
“It (truck) got stuck in the middle of the bridge and shortly after, people heard a loud sound as if something snapped, then the bridge collapsed,” Yap said.
Yap said the new bridge is due to open “in two to three days,.”
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the bridge was damaged in 2013 during a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit the province.
Anthony Damalario, officer of the Bohol provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said the bridge was constructed in the 1970s and had some retrofitting after the 2013 quake.
Yap said typhoon “Odette,” which severely affected the province in December last year, could have weakened the bridge.
“I’ve asked the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) what happened because after typhoon Odette, there was a policy from DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) for the DPWH to check the integrity of all government infrastructure within our jurisdiction,” he said.
Yap said 12 vehicles were confirmed to have been submerged due to the accident. He said there are reports three other vehicles also fell in the river but this is still subject to verification.
Yap said authorities are interviewing the survivors to determine the number of victims underneath the river.
“We want to identify their companions so everybody can be accounted for… We want to make sure all passengers are located,” said Yap, adding they are getting information from the survivors slowly “because they are still recovering, they are in shock.”
Damalario said, “We presume there are still more bodies below the bridge.”
He also said the bridge is 99 meters long and 10 meters wide while the river is four to five meters deep.
Damalario said the Austrian who died and his pregnant wife, who was injured, were in Bohol for a honeymoon. He said the couple was in a vehicle driven by a Bohol resident who also died in the incident.
Yap said the provincial government and the municipal government of Loay have decided to conduct a joint inquiry on the incident “so that we do not take too much time and resources away from the more important task right.”
The important task at hand, Yap said, is “locating all possible victims and retrieving all the debris and the cars that maybe under the water at this point in time and to locate other
debris that may still be here and will hamper the nautical traffic in the area.”
Communications Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said Malacañang is sending its condolences to the families of the fatalities and assuring survivors of assistance. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
