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Third Indonesian fatality reported in Taiwan bridge collapse
“I obtained information yesterday that authorities had found another Indonesian crew member of a fishing vessel [that was crushed under the bridge]. We can confirm that three Indonesians died in the incident,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told journalists on Thursday.
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Nanfang'ao Bridge is seen collapsing in Suao, Taiwan on Tuesday in this still image taken from a video. (Coast Patrol Corps 1 Northern Branch, Coast Guard Administration/via Reuters)
T
he Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the number of Indonesians killed in a bridge collapse in northeastern Taiwan has risen to three.
“I obtained information yesterday that authorities had found another Indonesian crew member of a fishing vessel [that was crushed under the bridge]. We can confirm that three Indonesians died in the incident,” Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told journalists on Thursday.
The bridge collapsed on Tuesday into the harbor of Nanfang’ao in Yilan county, about 62 kilometers north of Taipei, crushing several fishing boats in the process.
Reuters previously reported that the incident damaged three fishing boats and two vehicles, including an oil tanker truck. The cause of the collapse has not yet been determined.
Taiwanese search and rescue personnel on Wednesday found the bodies of two Indonesian crew members missing from the fishing vessel. Authorities had continued to look for another missing Indonesian citizen.
Read also: Two Indonesians dead, one missing in Taiwan bridge collapse
The minister said the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (IETO) in Taiwan would follow up the matter because the deceased fishermen were formal workers.
“The ministry has also talked with the families of the deceased crew members. They will be awarded compensation, the disbursement of which will be assisted by the IETO in Taiwan and Hong Kong,” Retno said
She added that officials from the ministry would accompany the family at every stage of the process, including the repatriation of the bodies.
The ministry’s director for citizen protection, Judha Nugraha, said on Wednesday that four other Indonesians were injured in the incident. All injured and dead Indonesians were migrant workers who were officially working as crew on Taiwan-flagged fishing vessels, he said.
The incident shocked many in Taiwan, which is regularly hit by earthquakes and typhoons and has high building standards, prompting authorities to launch a review of all bridges.
The Taiwanese government has set up a task force to investigate, with President Tsai Ing-wen vowing not to evade responsibility, Reuters reported.
The bridge was last reinforced in 2018 and another safety check was due next year. Problems such as rusty steel and cracks in concrete had been fixed during the check last October, the Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) said in a statement.
