Portugal mourns after bridge collapse

Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was jeered at the site

About 70 people are feared dead after a bridge over the River Douro in northern Portugal collapsed, taking a double-decker coach and two cars with it.

Entre-os-Rios bridge

Built 1885

200 metres long

50 metres high

Linked towns of Castelo de Paiva and Penafiel

Carried 1,600 vehicles a day

Locals warned government about its condition

The government has ordered an official inquiry and declared two days of national mourning, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The coach is believed to have been carrying more than 60 passengers. It is not yet clear how many people were in the other vehicles.

Local media reported that two bodies had been found as divers fastened to ropes braved a powerful current to scour the riverbed.

Prime minister jeered

The disaster has prompted accusations of government negligence, and the public works minister has already resigned.

Paulo Teixera, mayor of the nearby town of Castelo de Paiva, said he had spoken to the government several times about the condition of the 116-year-old bridge, but had been ignored.

Divers, fighting strong currents, took four hours to find the first body

The metal bridge at Entre-os-Rios linked Castelo de Paiva and the town of Penafiel, about 40km (25 miles) upstream from Portugal's second city, Porto.

The 200 metre-long bridge is believed to have collapsed after one of its support pillars gave way following prolonged heavy rain, sending parts of the structure crashing into the swollen river 50 metres (150ft) below.

One eyewitness said the two cars sank immediately, and the headlights of the bus were visible as it sank slowly and was swept down river.

Portugal's Public Works Minister, Jorge Coelho, said, announcing his resignation: "I assume political responsibility. I believe that it is no longer possible for me to remain in my post."

Jorge Coelho: Resigned as public works minister

Dozens of local people jeered Prime Minister Antonio Guterres when he visited the scene, shouting oaths and blaming the government for the deaths.

But Mr Guterres rejected the accusation, adding that Mr Coelho had acted with great dignity and was "certainly without any personal responsibility for the tragic events that have left the country in mourning".

Mr Teixeira told the BBC: "I frequently appealed to the government because the bridge is very old.

Road safety campaigner Manuel Joa Ramos said it was necessary to hold officials criminally responsible for failing to maintain roads and bridges.

"It's not a lack of money. It's a lack of coordination, a lack of responsibility. There is never a plan for road maintenence", he told the BBC.

The water where the vehicles fell is believed to be 15 metres (50 feet) deep.

A dam upstream from the accident site has closed its sluice gates in an attempt to reduce the river's flow and help with the task of recovering the vehicles.

But Joaquim Marinha, coordinating the search, said: "The current is very strong.

"It's very dangerous for the divers and the boats."

The navy was due to send a sonar device to help locate the vehicles which officials say have been swept several hundred metres down river.

Leticia Malta, in charge of the emergency centre in Porto, said the chances of finding survivors were "practically nil".

The bus was taking local people home to Castelo de Paiva after a day trip to see almond trees in blossom in the Douro valley region.

The disaster happened at about 9pm local time (2100 GMT) on Sunday.