AYUTTHAYA, 30 April 2013 Engineers from the Town and Country Planning Department have yet to conclude whether the collapse of a small suspension bridge in Ayutthaya was a result of design failure or shoddy construction materials.
The death toll from the bridge collapse remains at 4, while the number of injuries has risen to 13. 10 motorcycles fall off the bridge when it gave way.
The suspension bridge is located in Tha Luang sub-district, Tha Rua district, Ayutthaya province.
Around 100 soldiers from a military center in Saraburi province are assisting with clearing the debris from the river, to allow water traffic to resume.
Chettha Pathumrangsi, the mayor of Tha Luang sub-district municipality, said the bridge can normally hold 4 tons of weight.
After inspecting the bridge with his delegation of engineers, Engineering Institute of Thailand Secretary-General Thanet Wirasiri said he believed the cause had been substandard construction, resulting in the slings not being able to accommodate the weight it was supposed to bear. He said the main cause was the corroded cables, but this was exacerbated by the municipality’s failure to fix the bridge when it showed sign of tilting.
