Human error blamed for deadly Suramadu bridge's slabs collapse

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya

Human error was blamed for the collapse of six concrete slabs at the Suramadu bridge construction site, which resulted in the death of a construction worker.

The bridge is being built to connect Surabaya and Madura island in East Java province.

A preliminary investigation by a team from the Ministry of Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure found that the accident was due to a failure by workers to properly position the sixth slab, with the result that it fell and toppled the other five slabs.

A separate police investigation also found that part of the bridge should be supported by 35 steel masts, but in fact it was supported by only 27 masts.

"The results of the preliminary investigation show that the accident was caused by human error. We don't want the public to get the wrong idea that the materials being used on the bridge are of low quality," said Soenarno, the minister of resettlement and regional infrastructure, after a closed-door meeting with the East Java governor on Wednesday.

The six concrete slabs collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, killing one worker and injuring seven others. Each of the slabs is 40 meters long and weighs 80 tons. The accident cost Rp 1.2 billion given that each slab is worth Rp 200 million.

Megawati inaugurated the US$150 million high-profile project last week, and it is due to be completed in 2006 or 2007. The 5,438-meter-long bridge will be the longest in Indonesia.

East Java Provincial Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said that the police were looking into the possibility of any irregularities in the case.