Ministry probes alleged faulty rail bridges

BEIJING - The Ministry of Railways said on Friday that it is investigating media claims that an unfinished railway bridge in Northeastern China had serious safety flaws because of illegal contracting.

A railway bridge project in Baishan, Jilin province, was subcontracted in July 2010 to Lu Tianbo, a migrant construction worker who led dozens of migrant workers who were unqualified for building bridges, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

The report also found that gravel was used to replace concrete in the construction of bridge pier foundations for other railway bridges, posing serious safety threats in bridges that were part of a multibillion yuan railway project.