Towboat owner, driver in Ghenh Bridge collapse prosecuted
The Dong Nai province People’s Procuracy said on March 4 that it has issued an indictment prosecuting two men involved in the collapse of Ghenh Bridge spanning Dong Nai River, which stranded north-south rail link for 90 days.
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According to investigation results, Thuong asked Giang who has no boat-pilot’s licence to steer the towboat coded SG-3745, which was towing a barge with a plate number of SG-5984 carrying 800 tonnes of sand from the Mekong Delta region to Dong Nai.
However, the towboat’s engine stopped working when it came near the Ghenh Bridge. Due to a strong current, Giang could not steer the towboat, resulting in the barge hitting the bridge. Two spans of the bridge collapsed after the crash.
Giang and Nguyen Van Le, another person aboard, jumped into the river and were rescued by nearby fishing boats. They fled to Soc Trang afterwards.
Police said that as Le was the assistant on board, he is not prosecuted.
The Ghenh Bridge was built by the French in the 1900s during the colonial period and has been used for both railway and land transportation.
The new Ghenh Bridge was put into use on July 2, 2016.
