Bridge collapses in Indonesia; 3 dead, 17 injured

Residents inspect the damage of Kutai Kartanegara bridge after it collapsed, in Tenggarong, east Kalimantan, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011. The busy bridge collapsed Saturday in central Indonesia, killing at least three people and injuring 17 others as a bus, cars and motorcycles crashed into the river below, police and witnesses said. (AP Photo)

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A busy bridge has collapsed in central Indonesia, killing at least three people and injuring 17 others as a bus, cars and motorcycles crashed into the river below, police and witnesses said.

Capt. Syafii Nafsikin said search and rescue teams rushed to the scene after Saturday’s accident.

Survivors, swimming to shore, were screaming in panic.

The sprawling, 770-yard (700-meter) bridge — built to resemble the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco — linked the towns of Tenggarong and Samarinda in East Kalimantan province.

It was clogged with traffic when the accident occurred, Syaiful, a witness, told local television station TVOne.

He saw at least one bus and close to a dozen motorcycles plunge into the Mahakam river. Several cars were mangled.

“Everyone was screaming,” said Syaiful, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

East Kalimantan police spokesman Col. Antonius Wisnu Sutirta said it wasn’t immediately clear why the 10-year-old bridge collapsed.

He said at least three people were killed and 17 others were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals.