Bridge had no defects, says study

Salvage workers use an electromagnet on Tuesday to help retrieve vehicles that fell into the river after the collapse of the Jiujiang Bridge.Chen Pingsheng

GUANGZHOU: The Jiujiang Bridge had no structural defects before it collapsed after being rammed by a boat over-laden with sand, according to an initial safety study released yesterday.

The 1,600-m bridge, which spans the Xijiang River, a major tributary of the Pearl River in South China, collapsed on Friday morning.

Four vehicles fell into the river and nine people were missing.