Rescue personnel and an ambulance are seen behind yellow tape in Bogota, Colombia, June 17, 2017. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga/Files

 

BOGOTA: At least nine construction workers were killed and five injured when a partially-constructed bridge collapsed in central Colombia on Monday, an official from the disaster response agency said.

The bridge ? located in Chirajara on the border of Cundinamarca and Meta provinces ? was to be part of the highway that connects the capital Bogota and the city of Villavicencio and was not yet in public use.

The cause of the collapse, which sent pieces of the bridge down into a canyon below, is under investigation, Reinaldo Romero ? the head of disaster response for Meta province ? told Reuters.

"Up to now there are nine dead and five injured," Romero said.

"We are doing a check to rule out other victims."