Vietnam ? A section of a bridge under construction in southern Vietnam collapsed Wednesday, killing at least 52 workers and injuring 80 others, officials said.

The bridge was being built across the Hau River in the city of Can Tho. It is part of a heavily used route linking the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.

The collapsed section was more than 98 feet tall and was situated above land on the river bank in Vinh Long province, said Vo Thanh Tong, chairman of the Can Tho people’s committee. The four-lane bridge was not yet open to traffic.

Initial estimates of the death toll varied widely. But Nguyen Van Cong, a spokesman for Vietnam’s transportation ministry, said that the official count was 42 dead and 80 injured as of this morning, all of them Vietnamese construction workers.