2 bodies found after bridge collapses

CHANGSHA - Two bodies were retrieved and four people remained missing Tuesday morning after a bridge collapsed on Sunday in Central China's?Hunan province, local authorities said.

Rescuers found the two bodies around a pile of the bridge at 11:40 am, said Su Tao, a local fire fighter.

The 120-meter Fangu Bridge, which connects two townships in Pingjiang county, collapsed around 8:50 am when one of its piles was hit by a sand dredge flushed downstream by floods, said an official with the county's transportation authorities.

An initial investigation showed that nine people fell into the Changjiang River after the collapse, said a spokesman with the county government.

Three people have been resuced and are receiving treatment in a local hospital. The search for the missing four continues, said the spokesman.

Six hours of rain early Saturday pushed up water levels in the Changjiang River by three to four meters, said Li Zuoru, a local village official.

The bridge had been closed since Saturday morning because of heavy rains which have toppled 3,500 homes and forced more than 28,880 people to evacuate in the county.

Despite the presence of both a warning sign and a watchman, some villagers still forced their way onto the bridge, Li said.

Witnesses said there were people riding motorcycles across the bridge when it collapsed.