Scaffold collapse kills 3, injures 4 in southern Vietnam

Three workers died when a scaffold for the construction of a 17-story building collapsed here Friday, with four others injured, local media reported on Saturday.

Of the four injured workers, one was discharged from hospital on Friday, and the rest are still under treatment. One of the three, 53-year-old Le Ngoc Mai, underwent surgery as his abdomen was pierced through by a metal bar, local newspaper Tuoi Tre ( Youth) reported.

Deputy Construction Minister Le Quang Hung has asked the Department of State Assessment of Construction Work Quality to coordinate with concerned agencies to look into the accident as well as similar incidents that have occurred recently.

On March 25, a scaffold at a construction site of a Taiwanese- invested steel-mill complex in central Ha Tinh province collapsed, killing 13 Vietnamese workers and injuring 29 others.

Ho Chi Minh City has so far this year seen 27 deadly workplace accidents with 28 victims, according to Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper. Of the accidents, 13 cases happened in the construction sector.