A concrete bridge at the construction site of a community college for women in Najran University collapsed killing three Asian workers and injuring six others of Asian and Arab nationalities recently. Civil Defense and Saudi Red Crescent teams rushed to the scene with security patrols. Col. Ahmad Jarallah Al-Qahtani, Assistant Director of Civil Defense for Operations Affairs in Najran Region, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the reason for the bridge's collapse was fault in the supports (and braces) during the pouring of concrete. There were several workers on the bridge when it collapsed. He said the project engineer had confirmed to the Civil Defense that the reason for the collapse was the weak props to support the existing supports (which buckled under the heavy weight of wet concrete). “The workers were supposed to implement the safety means during work so as to protect themselves from injury,” said Col. Ahmad Al-Qahtani. Meanwhile, Irfan Aal Mansour, Assistant Director of Projects Administration in Najran University, said the accident is the first of its kind in the Najran University Campus Project. He said the Projects Administration would form a team to study the reasons for the bridge collapse and verify if the building has been affected by the collapse. He said his department always stresses on contractors to provide the required safety means to prevent such accidents. The Emergency Section of King Khaled Hospital in the region received the six injury cases. They were provided with first aid and their condition is now stable. Hassan Bin Salim Juraib, Director of the Projects Administration at the university, expressed sorrow about the accident and confirmed that work was going on for 30 projects within the university campus and that none has registered any case of accident in the past three years. He added that the Administration always stresses on the importance of safety measures to all contractors and consultants and urges them to make sure the metal supports and props are sturdy, sound and without flaws. __
