Wednesday, March 07, 2001, updated at 08:03(GMT+8)
China
Chinese Premier Condoles on Casualties in Portuguese Bridge Collapse
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji on Tuesday expressed condolences to his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Guterres, on the casualties caused by a bridge collapse on Sunday in northern Portugal.
"On behalf of the Chinese government, I express sincere condolences to your excellency and, through you, to the bereaved families," the Chinese premier said in a message to Guterres.
A 116-year-old bridge near the town of Castelo de Paiva, northern Portugal, collapsed on Sunday and a coach carrying 67 people and two other vehicles with some 10 people on board plunged into the Douro River. Seventy people were feared to have been killed.
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji on Tuesday expressed condolences to his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Guterres, on the casualties caused by a bridge collapse on Sunday in northern Portugal.