10 dead after bridge collapses in Colombia

Image: Colombia Bridge Collapse
Crews continue search-and-rescue efforts for four missing people after a bridge under construction collapsed in Bogota Villavicencio, Colombia, on Monday. Copyright Colombia Civil Defense
Copyright Colombia Civil Defense
By Tim Stelloh and Erika Angulo and Daniela Mencos with NBC News
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The victims were working on a sewer system when the bridge fell as it was under construction, the country's civil defense agency said.

Ten people were killed in Colombia on Monday after a bridge that was under construction collapsed south of Bogotá, the country's civil defense agency said.

In a statement, the agency said the victims had been working on a sewer system. It was unclear how many workers were on the bridge when it collapsed, the statement said, adding that three other people were injured and remained hospitalized.

Image: Colombia Bridge Collapse
Crews continue search-and-rescue efforts for four missing people after a bridge under construction collapsed in Bogota Villavicencio, Colombia, on Monday. Colombia Civil Defense

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the incident. The company in charge of construction, Coviandes, said only that the road would be closed and that it was working to get emergency responders to the scene.

In a statement, the office of Colombia's president, Juan Manuel Santos, said authorities were focusing on rescuing the injured.

Construction on the bridge, which was on the Bogota-Villavicencio highway, began in November 2016, local media reported.

According to La Nacion, the project included two bridges — one cable-stayed, the other curved and built with concrete — totaling more than 2,500 feet.

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