5 Filipinos injured in Taiwan bridge collapse
Published Oct 1, 2019 04:45 pm
By Andrea Aro and Leslie Ann Aquino
Five Filipino fishermen were among the 20 persons who were injured in the collapse of a bridge in a harbor in northeastern Taiwan Tuesday, Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) Director Gerry de Belen said.
The cause of the bridge collapse in Nanfangao is being investigated. (AFP / Sam YEH / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), for their part, said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) already extended assistance to the Filipino fishermen.
Citing POLO records, DOLE said the injured Filipino fishermen were Julio S. Gimawa, Jason N. Villaruel, Allan H. Alcansano, John Vicente Royo, and June B. Flores.
Gimawa, Villaruel, and Alcansano sustained minor injuries and were treated at Poai Hospital, while Royo and Flores were treated at the Rong min Hospital.
“POLO officials visited the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) at the hospital, assessed their condition and extended immediate assistance,” the Labor Department said in a statement.
DOLE said it extended immediate and basic needs as well as the personal requirements of the OFWs.
“Plus coordination with their respective principals,” DOLE added.
Divers were still searching for those feared trapped in a couple of fishing boats, two government officials from the port township of Suao told Reuters.
Authorities have set up an emergency center and the military said marines and the navy were helping with the rescue efforts.
Officials said the collapse of the bridge caused traffic over the busy fishing port and damaged three fishing boats and two vehicles, including the tanker.
Meanwhile, the reason for the collapse has yet to be determined.
On late Monday, typhoon Mitag, packing maximum winds of 162 kph (100 mph), swept past northeastern Taiwan, injuring 12 people and cutting power to more than 66,000 homes, with more than 150 flights canceled. (With a report from Reuters)
Read more: Towering arch bridge falls in Taiwan bay, 5 feared missing
The cause of the bridge collapse in Nanfangao is being investigated. (AFP / Sam YEH / MANILA BULLETIN)
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), for their part, said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) already extended assistance to the Filipino fishermen.
Citing POLO records, DOLE said the injured Filipino fishermen were Julio S. Gimawa, Jason N. Villaruel, Allan H. Alcansano, John Vicente Royo, and June B. Flores.
Gimawa, Villaruel, and Alcansano sustained minor injuries and were treated at Poai Hospital, while Royo and Flores were treated at the Rong min Hospital.
“POLO officials visited the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) at the hospital, assessed their condition and extended immediate assistance,” the Labor Department said in a statement.
DOLE said it extended immediate and basic needs as well as the personal requirements of the OFWs.
“Plus coordination with their respective principals,” DOLE added.
Divers were still searching for those feared trapped in a couple of fishing boats, two government officials from the port township of Suao told Reuters.
Authorities have set up an emergency center and the military said marines and the navy were helping with the rescue efforts.
Officials said the collapse of the bridge caused traffic over the busy fishing port and damaged three fishing boats and two vehicles, including the tanker.
Meanwhile, the reason for the collapse has yet to be determined.
On late Monday, typhoon Mitag, packing maximum winds of 162 kph (100 mph), swept past northeastern Taiwan, injuring 12 people and cutting power to more than 66,000 homes, with more than 150 flights canceled. (With a report from Reuters)
Read more: Towering arch bridge falls in Taiwan bay, 5 feared missing