Two workers die in Dutch bridge collapse

Two workers have died in the Netherlands after part of an under-construction bridge collapsed.

The incident in Lochem happened after cables snapped on a bridge arch being hoisted into place - which plummeted to the ground.

Two other people were injured and are being treated in hospital.

Officials described the bridge collapse as an "industrial accident" and said an investigation into the cause was under way.

One of the dead workers was from Belgium and the other Poland, authorities told Dutch broadcaster NOS. No more details, like their names or ages, were provided.

Dozens of people were watching the section of the bridge being swung into place when the collapse happened. They are reportedly being given psychological help.

One witness reported seeing the arch swinging and then hearing a loud, sudden bang.

The bridge is set to cross a major canal as part of a new ring road planned for Lochem, a city in the eastern province of Gelderland.

Local mayor Sebastiaan van 't Erve told AFP news agency everyone had been shocked by the incident on the long-awaited road.

"We've been developing the construction for five years. And then in just one day, the whole thing comes tumbling down, killing two people, injuring two others," he said.

The mayor added that the cause of the collapse was not yet clear and an investigation continued.

Local authorities said the two injured people had been taken to hospital and were expected to survive.

"What happened is that they were trying to lift the bridge. You can see the cables. The bridge started to twist. That part of the bridge fell down to the ground," Andre Meilink from the regional safety authority told NOS.