Seven people arrested after bridge collapses

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the collapse of a bridge in the city of Goychay in Azerbaijan.

The arrested, including the directors of four companies involved in construction, stand accused of illegal entrepreneurship, violations connected to the protection and use of mineral resources, and abuse of their positions, according to a

joint statement

released yesterday by the Prosecutor General and the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Emergencies, and Ecology.

An investigation has revealed that 14 quarries were producing sand and gravel without licenses, and 41 quarries continued production despite the Cabinet of Ministers’ decision to shut them down. The statement estimated damages at 16 million manats ($9.4 million).

On 2 June, floodwaters destroyed a bridge in Goychay along the Baku-Shamakhi-Yevlakh highway. Several other companies and individuals are still under investigation.

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