INFINITY IV

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Two people still hospitalized after collapse

One dead, two people hospitalized and 14 people involved was the toll of the collapse of the E42 motorway brige in La Louvière onto the 'Infinity IV' on March 6 at around 2 p.m., in which one crane also had ended on the barge. The toll was communicated on the evening by the city authorities. Mayor Jacques Gobert explained that while workers were working on the deck of the bridge over the canal, the bridge collapsed. The inland vessel was supposed to collect the rubble and was positioned under the bridge as part of the construction site. Part of the bridge collapsed onto the barge. Two workers, who were aboard at that time, were pulled out. Several pieces of construction equipment have been swept away when the bridge collapsed. 40 responders from various rescue services were involved in the rescue operation. At around 3 p.m., the rescue services pulled the missing victim out of the water and tried to resuscitate him. The municipal coordination center was opened to coordinate the rescue work. A reception centre for victims and their families has also been opened in a nearby municipal building and psychosocial support was still ongoing, With the collapse, the causes of which must first be determined, a reorganisation of the construction site has become necessary. It was impossible to specify the timetable at this stage. The bridge dated from the 1960s and the work in progress consisted of demolishing it due to its dilapidated state and rebuilding a new one. There were two twin bridges at this location. One towards Charleroi, which is the one that has collapsed, and the other towards Mons, was being renovated. The project was scheduled to last two years and should have been completed in February 2026. Due to the construction, vehicles traffic was interrupted on the bridge towards Charleroi under construction. Only slow traffic was allowed on the twin bridge towards Mons. The traffic, which had been interrupted for part of the afternoon, was able to resume normally around 5:45 p.m. Reports with photos and video: https://www.rtbf.be/article/e42-autoroute-fermee-a-houdeng-suite-a-l-affaissement-d-un-pont-11513705 https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/03/06/snelwegbrug-ingestort-op-e42-in-houdeng/

One dead and several injured after bridge collapse near La Louvière, inland vessel buried under debris and sank

On March 5, 2025, at around 2 p.m., a bridge over the Centrum Canal collapsed near La Louvière between kilometer marker 99.9 and 98.9, in Houdeng, while work was being carried out on the construction on the E42. One of the two work cranes was dragged down. The bridge fell on top of the 'Infinity IV', which was used to collect rubble during the work, was buried under the debris, partially crushed and sank. Police, fire brigade and medical services rushed to the site. One man had fallen into the water and was initially reporteed missing. The emergency services retrieved the victim from the water and tried to resuscitate him, but he nevertheless died from his injuries. Three other workers were injured too. All victims had belonged to a group of 12 workers who were working on the bridge. The injured were transferred to the Jolimont University Hospital in La Louvière. One of them was seriously and two others slightly injured. The cause of the incident was not yet clear. The mayor has announced the municipal emergency plan. According to the fire brigade, the situation is currently under control. The collapsed bridge section was closed to traffic due to the work, which first involved removing asbestos and then dismantling the bridge further. The bridge was to then be rebuilt and reopened to traffic later this year. As a precaution, the other part of the bridge - where traffic could drive in both directions on two lanes - was also temporarily closed. Traffic on that bridge section was reopened at around 5:30 p.m. The Centrum Canal was supposed to remain closed until March 14, due to the works, but due to the extent of the damage, it will now remain closed to shipping until further notice. Reports with photos and video: https://www.hln.be/binnenland/beelden-tonen-het-moment-waarop-brug-instort-bij-la-louviere-een-dode-en-drie-gewonden~a70daa83/ https://www.flows.be/binnenvaart/2025/03/snelwegbrug-in-la-louviere-stort-in-en-valt-op-binnenschip/ https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/03/06/snelwegbrug-ingestort-op-e42-in-houdeng/ https://www.demorgen.be/snelnieuws/brug-in-la-louviere-stort-in-tijdens-afbraakwerken-een-dode-en-drie-gewonden~b70daa83/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.de%2F https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/03/06/snelwegbrug-ingestort-op-e42-in-houdeng/ https://www.hln.be/binnenland/beelden-tonen-het-moment-waarop-brug-instort-bij-la-louviere-een-dode-en-drie-gewonden~a70daa83/254417113/ https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/03/06/instortende-brug-in-belgie-valt-op-binnenvaartschip/