Nanfang'ao Bridge

The Nanfang'ao Bridge (Chinese: 南方澳大橋; pinyin: Nánfāng'ào Dàqiáo) was a bridge in Nanfang'ao Fishing Port, Su'ao Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. It was the only steel single-arch bridge in Taiwan and was maintained by Taiwan International Ports Corporation.[1] Construction began in 1996, and was finished in 1998. The bridge collapsed on 1 October 2019, killing 6 people and injuring 12.

Nanfang'ao Bridge

南方澳大橋
Nanfang'ao Bridge before collapse
Coordinates24°35′9″N 121°52′10″E
LocaleSu'ao, Yilan County, Taiwan
Maintained byTaiwan International Ports Corporation
Characteristics
DesignTied-arch bridge
MaterialSteel
Total length140 m (459 ft)
Width15 m (49 ft)
Height18 m (59 ft)
History
DesignerMAA Consultants
Construction start1996
Construction end1998
Collapsed1 October 2019
ReplacesOld Nanfang'ao Bridge
Nanfang'ao Bridge
Taiwan

History

The bridge was designed by MAA Consultants (Chinese: 亞新工程顧問股份有限公司) and built by Yilan County Government. The construction started in 1996 and was commissioned by Ministry of Transportation and Communications. It was finally opened to the public in 1998 and was transferred to Keelung Port Bureau (now Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC)) for its management.[1][2][3] The bridge was constructed to replace the former lower bridge around the same area so that large fishing vessels could pass through underneath it.[4]

Since its opening, it was only inspected once by Chien Hsin University of Science and Technology in 2016.[5][6] During the inspection, it was found that the bridge's expansion joints were "obviously warped, damaged and sagging."[6] From 2017 to 2018, TIPC spent NT$10 million to clean the expansion joints and other reinforcement works.[6][7]

Collapse
Bridge collapse
The collapsed Nanfang'ao Bridge
Date1 October 2019 (2019-10-01)
Time09:30 (UTC+8)
LocationSu'ao, Yilan County, Taiwan
Deaths6
Non-fatal injuries12

On 1 October 2019 at 09:30 the bridge collapsed, injuring more than 20 people, many of whom were on fishing vessels in the harbor below.[8][9][10] Video shows an oil tanker truck nearly making it across to the other side when the bridge collapsed, sending the truck hurtling into the water, whereupon it burst into flames. There were in total 6 people on the bridge during the collapse.[11] The collapsing bridge damaged 3 fishing boats beneath it, injuring and trapping a number of migrants workers who were on the boats.[12]

Local authorities requested the armed forces to help in the search and rescue operation, who were then followed by[13] the Coast Guard Administration, Ministry of National Defense and National Airborne Service Corps.[14] President Tsai Ing-wen said, "We hope to safely rescue all in the shortest time to minimise the damages".[4]

Search and rescue operation teams faced difficulties in finding the missing people due to the underwater location which had low visibility.[15] As of 3 October 2019, there had been 6 confirmed deaths.[16] All of the bodies had been brought to the Su'ao Branch of Taipei Veterans General Hospital.[17] The collapsed bridge caused 500 fishing vessels to be trapped inside the harbor.[18]

The day before the bridge collapsed, the area was hit by Typhoon Mitag, and struck by a 3.8 magnitude earthquake at 13:54 in the early morning before the collapse.[3][19][20] However, MAA Consultants are not able to determine the actual cause as the crucial broken parts of the structure have yet to be recovered.[6]

NationalityNumber of
injured		Number of
deaths[21][16]
 Indonesia3
 Philippines5[22]3
 Republic of China1
Unknown nationalities6
Total12[6]6

Post collapse recovery, investigations and reactions

The oil tanker driver suffered multiple fractures, spinal, and internal injuries. He underwent emergency surgery and is currently in the intensive care unit at the Luodong Bo’ai Hospital. He is as yet unable to speak.[23] The armed forces deployed floating platform to retrieve debris and the boats stuck under the bridge.[17] The harbour remained sealed while the search and rescue operation was ongoing. After recovering the last body, the response teams turned their attention to clearing debris which impeded river navigation. In the morning of 3 October, fishing boats could navigate out of the harbour.[18] President Tsai promised for a full thorough investigation of the incident and that all bridges in Taiwan would undergo inspection.[24] The chairman of TIPC, Wu Chung-rung (吳宗榮) resigned in response to the collapse.[18]

Most of the arches of the bridge were cleared on 10 October 2019, totaling 320 tonnes.[25]

Aftermath

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications stated that a new bridge will be built at the same spot within 3 years.[1] The design and tender for the new bridge will be overseen by Public Construction Commission.[26]

On 3 October 2019, Premier Su Tseng-chang ordered inspections of all bridges in Taiwan.[26]

Due to the fact that many migrant fishermen sleep inside their fishing vessels during night time, a dangerous condition in the case of similar bridge collapse incident to happen again, the Labor Affairs Department of Yilan County Government started the planning to build onshore accommodation for those migrant workers at Nanfang'ao Fishing Port. The project will be broken down into three phases and last for three years, with the ultimate goal of providing the accommodation for all of the migrant fishermen.[27]

Technical specification

The bridge was a single tied-arch bridge made of steel. It had a length of 140 meters, a width of 15 meters and a passage height for vessels of 18 meters.[3][4] The bridge was designed to last 50 years.[11][15]

Architecture

The bridge was decorated with images of fish, shrimps, and crabs, representing the port.[28]

See also

References
  1. "Maintenance report reveals problems on Yilan bridge 3 years ago | Society | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS". focustaiwan.tw.
  2. "Rescue underway following Taiwan Bridge collapse". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  3. News, Taiwan. "Breaking News: Bridge collapses in NE Taiwan,..." Taiwan News. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  4. "Bridge collapse in Taiwan sends oil tanker truck tumbling onto boats in fishing harbor". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  5. "Bridge only inspected once, TIPC says - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  6. "Maintenance report reveals problems on Yilan bridge 3 years ago | Society | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS". focustaiwan.tw. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. "Taiwan bridge collapse crushes fishing boats, six crew feared trapped". The Star Online. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  8. "Taiwan bridge collapse". BBC News. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  9. "Nanfang'ao Bridge in Yilan collapses". focustaiwan.tw. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  10. Victor, Daniel; Horton, Chris (1 October 2019). "Bridge Collapses in Taiwan; Oil Truck Plunges Moments Away From Crossing". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  11. Farrell, Paul (1 October 2019). "Nanfangao Bridge Collapse: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
  12. News, Taiwan. "Fishing boat owner mourns deaths of foreign c..." Taiwan News.
  13. "Taiwan bridge collapse crushes fishing boats, some feared trapped". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  14. "10 injured, 6 still trapped at bridge collapse site in Yilan". focustaiwan.tw. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  15. "On Camera, 460-Foot Bridge Collapses In Taiwan, Crushes Boats". NDTV.com.
  16. "Sixth body found after Yilan bridge collapse | Society | FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS". focustaiwan.tw.
  17. "Death toll from bridge collapse hits five - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com.
  18. "南方澳断桥6名渔工遗体全寻获 港务董事长请辞". www.ntdtv.com. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  19. News, Taiwan. "Snapped cables at center of investigation int..." Taiwan News.
  20. "Four dead and two missing after Taiwan bridge collapse, with 10 hospitalised". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Reuters/AP. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  21. "Compensation for migrant fishermen who died in bridge collapse". Focus Taiwan. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  22. "Two Filipinos dead, 1 missing in Taiwan bridge collapse". cnn. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  23. Charlier, Phillip (1 October 2019). "Bridge collapses in Yilan County, 12 injured, 5 missing". Taiwan English News. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  24. "Nanfangao Bridge in Taiwan collapses as oil truck drives across - The Washington Post".
  25. Shen, Worthy; Lee, Hsin-yin (10 October 2019). "Arches of collapsed Yilan bridge removed, port operations resume". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  26. "Nationwide bridge inspection ordered - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com.
  27. Yen, William (8 October 2019). "Yilan planning onshore accommodation for migrant fishermen". Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  28. "Nanfang'ao Bridge". Yilan Tourism. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
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