Bridge collapse in Colombia leaves 2 dead, 15 injured

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - At least two people died and 15 were injured when a bridge connecting the departments of Valle del Cauca and Quindio in Colombia collapsed Wednesday.

Local reports said the two who died were police officers who were in a truck passing over the bridge.

Videos released on social media show the wreckage of several trucks that fell when the bridge across the La Vieja River collapsed.

The president of the National Infrastructure Agency, William Camargo, said the bridge collapsed due to a "sudden failure" despite the fact that it had been undergoing recurrent maintenance.

Videos show several of the injured managing to get out of their vehicles by their own means and they were assisted by the police and people in the area.

The bridge is part of the Panamerican Highway, where heavy load vehicles travel between Buenaventura and Bogota.

Disaster response teams have been deployed to deal with the emergency.

President Gustavo Petro expressed his solidarity with the families of the dead officials.

“Solidarity with the families of the victims. I have ordered the initiation of an investigation to establish the causes of the bridge collapse and those responsible for it,” said Petro.

“We are also activating alternate routes and measures to guarantee mobility between the affected departments,” he added.