A group of government officials and contractors responsible for a bridge collapse in Hunan province that killed 64 people were jailed on Friday.

The 328-m bridge, which was under construction over the Tuojiang River in Fenghuang County, collapsed in August 2007, killing 64 people and injuring 22 others.

A district court in Zhuzhou city sentenced You Xingfu, general manager of the Fengda Road Construction Co - which was building the bridge - to 19 years in prison for accepting bribes and being involved in organized crime.

He was also fined 50,000 yuan ($7,300) and ordered to return 259,000 yuan and $10,000 that he obtained illegally.

Also on Friday, a court in Youxian County sentenced Hu Dongsheng, head of the road administration of the Xiangxi autonomous prefecture of Tujia and Miao ethnic groups in Hunan, to 19 years in jail for taking bribes, malpractice and involvement in organized crime.

A court in the city of Jishou sentenced Wang Weibo, senior official of the prefecture's traffic bureau, to 15 years in jail.

Eighteen other officials and contractors involved in the case were also jailed.

(China Daily January 10, 2009)