Arch bridge collapses in terrifying video, plummeting oil tanker into Taiwan fishing boats

[Elderberry]

USA Today by Ralph Jennings 10/1/2019

A towering arch bridge over a bay in eastern Taiwan collapsed Tuesday, sending a burning oil tanker truck falling onto boats in the water below. An air force helicopter, fishing vessels and more than 60 military personnel, including divers were searching for possible victims.

Six people are believed trapped on one of the fishing boats, the National Fire Agency said. Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung told reporters about five people were feared to have been on the bridge when it collapsed. Ten people were sent to hospitals, six of them with serious injuries.

The 140-meter-long (460-feet) bridge collapsed about 9:30 a.m. in Nanfangao, a tiny but often-crowded Pacific coast fishing village.

More: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/10/01/taiwan-arch-bridge-collapses-sending-oil-truck-into-boats-video/3827808002/

[thackney]

Another view given here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZJ2kGq1utM

[PeteS in CA]

Looks like the failure of one support cable - possibly due to the weight of the oil tanker truck - cause a cascade failure of all the cables. I wonder whether the truck was too heavy to use that bridge, or whether the bridge design lacked the margin to survive the failure of a single cable.

[thackney]

Looks like the failure of one support cable - possibly due to the weight of the oil tanker truck - cause a cascade failure of all the cables. I wonder whether the truck was too heavy to use that bridge, or whether the bridge design lacked the margin to survive the failure of a single cable.

It is hard to believe a truck, even fully loaded would overload the bridge.  The Nanfang'ao bridge was built in 1998.