Eleven building workers died and 12 were injured after a crane container fell at a bridge construction site in southwest China.

The accident occurred in heavy rain at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday on Furongjiang Bridge, which is under construction in a mountainous area in Haokou Township of Wulong County, Chongqing City.

The steel cable, to which the container was attached, broke and plunged on to the deck of the bridge. Nine workers were declared dead at the scene, and two died on the way to the hospital.

The 12 injured workers were taken to Wulong County Hospital, where 11 of them were said to be in a serious condition.

A rescue headquarters has been set up swiftly by security inspection staff, policemen, firefighters and sanitation workers of Wulong County.

Liu Xuepu, vice mayor of Chongqing City, arrived at the site in two and a half hours after the accident to oversee the rescue process.

Work safety officials are investigating the cause of the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2008)