According to the People's Committee of Phu Tho province, due to the impact of storm No. 3 , flood water on Thao River (Red River) rose very high, at Am Thuong reaching +27.25m (1.25m above alert level III). Due to the high and fast-flowing river water, at about 10:02 a.m. on September 9, Phong Chau bridge at Km18+300 of National Highway 32C (connecting Tam Nong and Lam Thao districts) collapsed, sweeping away pillar T7 and 2 main spans (spans 6 and 7 on the right bank of Thao River, in Tam Nong district).
Immediately after the incident, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Tho province was present at the scene to direct the mobilization of functional forces (police, army, medical staff, local people, etc.) to immediately deploy emergency measures to rescue people, respond to and overcome the incident.
Preliminary determination at the time of the accident there were 8 vehicles involved (including 1 truck, 1 car, 5 motorbikes, 1 electric bicycle); 5 injured people were rescued and taken to the emergency room at a medical facility.
"Due to the high and fast-flowing floodwaters, the implementation of search and rescue measures has encountered many difficulties, and the exact number of missing people has not been determined. Phu Tho Province is coordinating with the Ministry of Transport, Military Region 2 and relevant forces to actively and urgently mobilize forces, means and necessary measures to search for missing people, place warning signs in dangerous areas, direct traffic and ensure security and order," the report stated.
Luckily escaping the collapse of Phong Chau bridge, Mr. Phan Truong Son (Huong Non commune, Tam Nong district, Phu Tho) is still in shock: "I was walking when I heard the "ding ding" sounds, I just thought it was simply the shaking of the bridge when there was a heavy load. Before I could react, the bridge collapsed, and the whole person and the car were dragged down. I tried to use all my strength to push myself up to breathe, when I got to the surface of the water, I was sure I couldn't survive!".
According to Mr. Son, fortunately, after swimming a short distance, he grabbed a banana tree and was then rescued by local people.
Not as lucky as Mr. Son, Ms. Do Thi Hong's sister, while traveling from Dich Qua commune, Thanh Son district to Son Vi commune, Lam Thao district, met with an accident at Phong Chau bridge.
Ms. Hong said in tears: "This morning when we heard the news of the bridge collapse, my family tried to contact her family but could not reach them, so we immediately rushed to the scene. After checking the cameras at local houses, it was confirmed that she had fallen. Now the flood water is flowing rapidly, and the rescue team has not found her whereabouts yet."
Currently, the Phu Tho Provincial Military Command is deploying forces including many vehicles, ships, and 40 officers and soldiers; the 543rd Engineering Brigade (Military Region 2) is deploying forces and vehicles to rescue victims of the bridge collapse.
It is known that on September 9, in addition to the leaders of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong were present at the scene to participate in the rescue work.
It is known that in the immediate future, Phu Tho will install a pontoon bridge for vehicles and people to travel across the two sides of the river. Phong Chau bridge is determined to be beyond repair.
Overcoming the collapse of Phong Chau bridge, consequences of floods and landslides
On September 9, Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Official Dispatch No. 89/CD-TTg requesting ministries, branches and localities to focus on overcoming the collapse of Phong Chau bridge in Phu Tho province and responding to and overcoming the consequences of floods, landslides, flash floods and landslides in the mountainous and midland provinces of the North.
Storms and floods have left at least 26 people dead and missing (17 due to floods and landslides; 9 due to storms), 247 injured, many houses and infrastructure damaged, production and business stagnated. Notably, on the morning of September 9, 2024, the Phong Chau bridge over the Thao River in Phu Tho province collapsed. According to initial information, a number of vehicles and people fell into the river.
The Prime Minister sent his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and shared the difficulties and losses of the people in the areas affected by the storm and floods. The Prime Minister requested Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc and leaders of the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the People's Committee, the National Committee for Incident Response, Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue to immediately go to the scene to coordinate with the Secretary and Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Tho province to direct the inspection and immediate implementation of the work to overcome the collapse of Phong Chau bridge, focusing on rescue work for the victims of the bridge collapse.
The Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committees continue to focus on directing and implementing drastic, timely and effective response to landslides, flash floods and inundations within their authority.
The Ministers of National Defense, Public Security, Transport, and Agriculture and Rural Development immediately mobilized all necessary forces and means to coordinate with the People's Committee of Phu Tho province and relevant localities to urgently deploy rescue work for the victims of the Phong Chau bridge collapse. Thu Hien
Phong Chau Bridge is a bridge across the Red River on National Highway 32C, located at Km18+300 National Highway 32C, connecting Phung Nguyen Commune, Lam Thao District with Van Xuan Commune, Tam Nong District. The bridge was built using old technology with a steel truss structure, with a length of 375.36m. The project was inaugurated on July 28, 1995.
