Rescue officers used an excavator to tow fallen vehicles after an old bridge collapsed during heavy rain and storms in the Philippines.

Footage shows officers attaching thick ropes to vans and cars at the bottom of the ravine with the damaged structure in Bagumbayan, Negros Occidental province on August 1.

Resident Shamara Gaitera said: ‘The bridge could only carry one light vehicle but maybe they passed by at the same time so the structure was not able to handle the weight. Maybe they didn’t notice the sign.’
Police Lieutenant Joseph Jaro said there were three vehicles in a convoy for a ministry event when the bridge collapsed leaving 16 passengers on board suffering minor scratches.

No one was seriously hurt and the vehicles were towed to a repair shop afterward.

The Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are in the middle of their tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts until October or November. Soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods.