A section of a new bridge in Isabela, which links Sta. Maria and Cabagan, collapsed on Thursday evening, February 27.
According to Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (LDRRM) assistant officer Aljorey Eduard Bernaser, they received a call about the bridge collapse at around 8:10 p.m.
Four vehicles passing by were caught in the incident, including a dump truck, two SUVs, and a motorcycle.
Rescuers were able to save six individuals from the vehicles, who were then taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“So far, iyung mga na-ilawan namin na sightings, wala naman na pong katawan. Overall, lahat ng na-rescue natin ay conscious. ‘Yung motorcycle rider ang nabalian ng paa,” Bernaser said.
It is still unclear which part of the bridge collapsed, but the Municipal Engineering Office is already on-site conducting an inspection.
“Kasalukuyan pa po ang assessment ang engeering para magbigay ng initial findings sa sitwasyon ng tulay,” Bernaser said.
They will investigate the cause of the collapse, but they suspect that a dump truck carrying rocks may have contributed to the bridge’s failure.
“Iyung truck mismo na dumaan is carrying a heavy load, a lot of rock sa mismong trunk niya, kaya ‘yun mismo ang nakadagdag sa (bigat),” Bernaser explained.