Scaffolding collapse kills 14, injures scores in Ha Tinh province

At least 14 people have been killed and scores injured after scaffolding collapsed on March 25 at a construction site in the Vung Ang Economic Zone in central Ha Tinh province.

Soldiers, police officers and workers were conducting search and rescue operations at the accident site.

According to the Ministry of Health, injured workers are being treated at hospitals in Ha Tinh province and four specialists at the Hanoi-based Viet Duc Hospital have been dispatched to help with the treatment effort.

Reports say the accident happened at around 20:00 on March 25 when workers were working on 20-metre high scaffolding to lay concrete pillars near the sea dyke within the construction site of the Formosa project.

As the news emerged, more than one thousand soldiers, police officers and doctors were deployed to the scene to work with contractors and on-site workers to carry out search and rescue operations.

The rescue effort was hampered by rain and a large amount of heavy steel and wood, which buried workers deep under the rubble.

The Ha Tinh authorities were quoted by newswire Vietnam Plus as saying that eight workers were killed immediately following the collapse while another six died in Ky Anh Hospital due to serious injuries.

The Vung Ang Economic Zone was established in 2006 covering over 22.000 hectares in Ky Anh district of Ha Tinh province. It is designed to host a wide range of industries and services, with a primary focus on metallurgy.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)