According to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, exactly one month after the Phong Chau bridge collapse, on October 9, the authorities are actively coordinating and urgently carrying out the demolition and salvage work of the collapsed Phong Chau bridge structure and vehicles ashore.
At the scene (on the Tam Nong district side), the ground near the collapsed bridge area has been leveled to serve the gathering of salvaged objects; large vehicles and machinery such as cranes, excavators, ships... are operating at full capacity.
The structures of the collapsed Phong Chau bridge, each part of the vehicle under the river has been drilled, cut, and lifted to the ground. The monitoring team, chaired by the military and police, will take photos, film, collect evidence, and record to serve the work of determining the cause of the incident...
To date, authorities have searched for and recovered 4/8 missing victims of the bridge collapse, and handed over the bodies to their families for funeral arrangements (1 body in the car cabin at the bridge collapse scene, 3 bodies downstream of the Red River).
Recently, Naval Brigade 126 (Navy) deployed a force of 40 elite commando officers and soldiers with full equipment and vehicles, racing against time to search for missing people in the Phong Chau bridge collapse.
For people living in the Phong Chau bridgehead area in Van Xuan commune (Tam Nong district), the incident left them disappointed because they lost the familiar bridge they had been attached to for decades, especially affecting businesses in the area.
Mr. Bui Van Tuyen - owner of a mobile phone shop here - said: "Before Phong Chau bridge, the area at the beginning of the bridge was always crowded with people and vehicles from morning to night, more bustling than the district center. From shops, street stalls, taxis, motorbike taxis... all were very crowded. However, now that the bridge is gone, everything is deserted, even though it has only been a month, the effects are obvious."
Regarding traffic, after the 249th Engineering Brigade (Engineering Corps) and Military Region 2 installed and reopened the Phong Chau pontoon bridge on the afternoon of October 6, people have gradually become accustomed to traveling by makeshift pontoon bridge.
Ms. Phung Thi Phuong Thu - a resident of Xuan Huy commune, Lam Thao district - expressed: "The unexpected happened. For the past month, witnessing the army soldiers, police and many other forces working day and night to overcome the consequences, ensuring travel and safety for the people, we will also have to adapt, and the difficulties will pass."
With the current Phong Chau bridge section at risk of collapse (the section connecting Phung Nguyen commune, Lam Thao district), Phu Tho has organized the diversion of waterway traffic through the bridge area, arranged barriers around the bridge, and at the same time studied plans and solutions to dismantle the remaining spans to ensure safety.
