Was There an Earthquake in Malaysia?

The report on the bridge collapse near Sibu seems to indicate that there is some truth in the recent headlines about widespread graft in the construction industry.

This bridge was built in 1993 and barely 12 years later it just collapses. What kind of engineering practices are we following?
After all construction of such structures has a design safety factor of about 10 and is not expected to collapse unless there is a severe earthquake. Shall we also blame God for this mishap?

Since the government is talking about the fight against corruption, this should be a good case for the ACA to investigate in terms of the following:

1. How was the tender awarded?
2. Who approved the contract?
3. Was the contract modified after the tender was awarded?
4. Who was the supervising engineer?
5. Who was the design engineer?
6. Did the design adhere to approved engineering standards?
7. Who was the contractor that actually constructed the bridge?
8. Was it an approved contractor?
9. Are those in the award committee and construction approval living beyond their means?

There could be other areas but this checklist can also be applied to any other project that fails or delayed for unknown reasons.

If the collapse is due to “structural defects” as quoted it means that the bridge is under-designed or that the materials used were below specs.
The government should publish the full report as this is a matter of public interest.


photo: collapsed bridge along Great Ocean Road, Australia