Transport minister, Dinh La Thang, has established a task force to investigate the causes of the recent collapse of a suspension bridge which killed eight people in the northern province of Lai Chau.

The transport minister visited hospitals to check on victims

The accident occurred around 8:30am on February 24 in Chu Va 6 Village, Tam Duong District, while a funeral procession was crossing.

The funeral procession, including approximately 50 people, was crossing the bridge when it suddenly collapsed. The people and the coffin fell into the rocky gorge below

At least eight people have been confirmed dead, and around 40 others injured, including 10 suffering serious injuries.

The transport minister this morning visited hospitals to check on victims, most of whom are from poor families.

After learning of the incident, deputy prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, this morning sent two helicopters to transport 25 doctors from Viet Duc and Bach Mai hospitals in Hanoi to Lai Chau to treat the victims, following the proposal by Transport Minister Thang.

Doctors from Hanoi are giving medical checks-up to patients

According to Thang, although the case was very serious, the pace of information coming in was very slow. Reportedly, it was not until midday that news of the morning's accident was learned by the media.

The initial inspection showed that the suspension bridge had a capacity of 79 tonnes, and that the accident was likely due to broken cables.

The transport minister requested that authorities in Lai Chau Province quickly build a temporary bridge to accommodate travel demands, and make plans for a new permanent bridge. He also asked that all other suspension bridges in the province be checked for safety.

After the accident, the deputy PM urged that a national inspection of suspension bridges be conducted.

Vang A Hong, who caught a video clip of the collapse said that it was very sudden and he "heard screams and saw blood, then rushed to help save victims."

Video clip of the collapse can be watched at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2VruQ_YgDU

Another clip of the collapse sent by a woman in the area to DTiNews: