A major incident occurred on Thursday afternoon when a large section of a new pedestrian skybridge under construction collapsed, sending massive steel girders and concrete slabs crashing to the ground below.
The collapse happened at approximately 2:30 PM local time at a busy intersection in the city’s central business district. The cause of the failure is not yet known and is under urgent investigation.
Eyewitness Accounts of Chaos
Eyewitnesses described a scene of sudden terror and loud noise.
“I heard a huge cracking and grinding sound, like thunder,” said Sok Vanna, a motorbike taxi driver who was waiting at a traffic light. “I looked up and saw the whole structure twisting and then it just came down. It was very fast. Everyone started screaming and running.”
Another witness, Maria Santos, a nearby shop owner, said, “The ground shook. A huge cloud of dust covered the entire street. It was complete chaos for a few minutes. We are just thankful it didn’t happen during rush hour when more people would have been underneath.”
Emergency Response and Rescue Efforts
Emergency services, including police, firefighters, and medical teams, responded to the scene within minutes. The area was immediately cordoned off as a disaster zone.
Rescue workers and sniffer dogs have been searching through the enormous pile of rubble for hours, looking for any possible victims trapped beneath. Initial reports suggest that most workers were on a break at the time of the collapse, which may have prevented a much larger tragedy.
Authorities have confirmed several injuries among the construction crew, with some workers being treated for shock and minor wounds at a nearby hospital. As of now, there are no confirmed fatalities, but search operations are ongoing.
Investigation Launched
The construction company behind the project, UrbanConnect Builders, has released a brief statement expressing their “deep shock and sadness” at the event. They have promised full cooperation with the government’s investigation.
A special committee of engineering experts and safety officials has been formed to determine the exact cause of the collapse. Early speculation points to a potential structural failure, but officials stress it is too early to draw any conclusions.
The highly anticipated skybridge was designed to connect two major shopping centers and was meant to ease foot traffic in the congested area. Its construction was over 70% complete and it was scheduled to open later this year.
This incident is expected to raise serious questions about construction safety standards and regulatory oversight for major infrastructure projects in the country.
This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
Key Words / Vocabulary:
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Collapse (v/n): To fall down suddenly. (e.g., The bridge collapsed.)
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Construction (n): The process of building something.
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Girders (n): Large iron or steel beams used in building frameworks.
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Eyewitness (n): A person who sees an event happen.
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Cordoned off (v): To close an area with barriers, usually by police.
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Rubble (n): Broken pieces of stone, brick, or other materials from a destroyed structure.
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Sniffer dogs (n): Dogs trained to use their sense of smell to find people or things.
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Fatalities (n): Deaths resulting from an accident or disaster.
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Structural failure (n): When a structure (like a bridge) breaks because it cannot support its load.
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Infrastructure (n): The basic physical systems of a place, such as roads, bridges, and power supplies.
