A steel arch bridge in northeastern Taiwan collapsed on Tuesday morning, crushing fishing boats below and injuring at least 10 people, with six others missing.
The bridge at Nangfangao, a fishing township in Yilan County, collapsed at around 9:30 a.m., with its arch remaining upright above the water.
Video footage showed an oil tanker truck crossing the 18.5 meter high, 140 meter long bridge when the structure suddenly gave way. The vehicle fell and caught fire at one end.
[Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration]
Authorities said six missing foreign fishing crewmen -- three Filipinos and three Indonesians -- were possibly trapped inside the three fishing boats that were crushed.
The Taiwanese driver of the oil tanker is among the injured, as are six Filipinos and three Indonesians.
President Tsai ordered the transportation ministry to get to the bottom of the matter, saying her government will not shirk its responsibility. The ministry has already formed a task force to delve into the cause of the accident.
[Photo Courtesy of Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration]
It is unclear if the weather had anything to do with the collapse. Typhoon Mitag swept through Taiwan early Tuesday, but the sky had cleared up by the time of the accident.
The bridge, completed in 1998, was re-enforced in 2017 and last year. It was last examined in 2016 and was scheduled for another checkup next year.
