The reopening of the Ayala Bridge to traffic on Monday was marred by the death of a construction worker who fell from the steel structures supporting the bridge.
The victim was identified by the Manila Police District as Zaldy dela Torre, a 35 year old welder for Amsteel Structures Inc.
Initial reports showed that dela Torre was attaching fire catch–which catches sparks from welding and prevents them from falling to the ground–to scaffolding at the metal structures supporting the bridge when he lost his balance and fell to the concrete pavement below.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Monday. Dela Torre was rushed to the Philippine General Hospital but was proclaimed dead on arrival.
Initial investigation showed that while dela Torre wore a safety harness as he worked up the girders, he failed to attach this to the safety cables hanging from the bridge, which would have caught him and prevented his fall.
Police said the victim sustained a fracture in the skull and laceration in his body.
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