In a tragic event, the scaffolding of a pedestrian bridge in Sandton collapsed across the M1 highway killing 2 people and injuring at least 23 others. The bridge was under construction at the time and started falling from left to right.

Paramedics worked for hours to break free those who were trapped under the construction.

The City of Joburg will now be investigating Murray & Roberts who were constructing the bridge and who claim that strong winds are to blame for the cave in of the scaffolding – but at the same time, The City will conduct their own investigation to “find out if any procedures were flouted during construction”.

The City’s spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said that:

Service providers are contractually obliged to ensure the safety of citizens and their property.

We want to institute a proper investigation so that we can get to the bottom of this issue because people have lost lives, people have been injured and they have had their property damaged.

Already, Murray & Roberts’ share price has dropped significantly this morning due:

The stock closed at R11,15, that’s a drop of 7.3 percent, its biggest decline in four and a half years.

And, remember the Ecomobility Fest that’s going down in Sandton during the month of October? The organisers have removed its barricades on west road in the Sandton business district to relieve pressure from the traffic grid.

[source: ewn&ewn&ewn]

[pic: Christa Eybers/EW; @maswanganye via Twitter; Arrive Alive]