A large bridge collapsed in northeast Taiwan on Tuesday morning while an oil tanker was crossing it, according to local news reports.
At least 20 people were injured when the Nanfang’ao Bridge, about 150 yards long, fell around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to Taiwan News. Hsu Kuo-yung, Taiwan’s interior minister, told Formosa TV that 10 people were sent to hospitals, six of them with serious injuries.
Officials feared about five people were on the bridge when it collapsed, he said. Others remained missing, with fishing boats assisting in rescue efforts.
The bridge, which was completed in 1998, spans a fishing village in Yilan County. Images in local media showed the large steel arch still upright, with rubble at both ends.
The oil tanker, seconds away from safe crossing, fell to the ground and caught fire, according to Focus Taiwan, a local news channel. Su Hong-wei, a spokesperson for the National Fire Agency, said the tanker smashed three boats in its fall, according to The Associated Press.
Typhoon Mitag had struck parts of the island early Tuesday, but the skies had cleared by the time the bridge collapsed.