Bridge cave-in fuels corruption fears

SHANGHAI - Local authorities in East China's Zhejiang province have admitted that safety problems and design defects have dogged the bridge that partially caved in on Friday, as suspicions grow about the role of corruption in the shoddy project.

Chen Wei, head of Hangzhou Transportation Bureau, said on Saturday that the collapse on the approach span of the No 3 Qiantang River Bridge, suggested that the project has safety problems. One man was injured during the collapse.

"Further investigation is needed to determine how (these problems and defects) came about, and whether they occurred all of a sudden or developed over a long period of time," the official said.