One person was injured and two are still missing after a cement-laden ship hit a bridge in east China's Jiangsu Province, causing the bridge to collapse, local police reported on Wednesday.

The accident took place on Wednesday at noon. A cargo ship carrying some 200 tons of cement from Changzhou in Jiangsu Province to Shanghai was sailing under the 40-year-old Dayang Bridge in Kunshan City. It veered suddenly and hit one of the concrete piers, causing the bridge to collapse.

Falling fragments injured one man on the ship. Two people are still missing after falling off the ship into the water.

Witnesses said that the cargo ship, bearing characters of "Pan'gu Cement", swerved to avoid a collision with another ship before hitting the pier.

"The danger sign is posted clearly on the piers," said a witness. The bridge is 10 meters wide and 50 meters long.

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2007)