Two more bodies have been found in the rubble of a bridge that collapsed in southern Vietnam, bringing the official death toll to 49, dpa quoted the local media as saying Saturday. Search and rescue teams early Saturday found the body of Nguyen Van Dung, a construction worker from My Hoa commune in Vinh Long province, trapped under the rubble, according to online newspaper VnExpress. Dung's remains were already badly decomposed by the time he was pulled out of the rubble, three days after the bridge collapsed. Workers also recovery one leg from the second worker with a brown sock, while the rest of the remains are still trapped under a block of reinforced concrete. Local resident identified him as Sau Luy. Dung's brother, Nguyen Van Cho, said that he and his brother were working at the site with two other fellow workers at the time of the disaster. As Cho heard the sound of the beam moving, he quickly jumped down and escaped with minor injuries, but his brother and the two others were trapped. VnExpress reported that the area will be sprayed with disinfectant to try to control the stench, which threatens to sicken search and rescue workers. Around 40 people will be sent to assist the search. Vietnamese authorities sent sniffer dogs to search for trapped workers. The latest recoveries brought the toll to 49 people killed after the approaching ramp of Can Tho bridge collapsed early Wednesday in the southern province of Vinh Long. The accident also left 87 people injured, some suffering severe head and chest injuries. Four people are still reported missing. The largest cable bridge in Vietnam, the project was meant to link two banks of Hau river, a tributary to the Mekong River in southern Vietnam. Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung was at the site inspecting the cause of the collapse and said that it may be because of the instability of the scaffolding. He told reporters that the investors and main contractors will be held responsible for the damage, but did not elaborate. Construction of the bridge will resume once the rubble is cleared, he said.
