At least one person has died after a bridge under construction collapsed on the M1 highway in Sandton, Johannesburg, paramedics said.

ER24 said in a statement that at least 17 people were injured, while Netcare 911 said on Twitter that 15 people were injured – five critically.

ER24 spokesperson Pieter Rossouw said several paramedics and emergency services officials were on the scene.

According to an eNCA report a minibus taxi was underneath the bridge. A photograph shows the red structure blocking both the north and southbound lanes of the highway.

Murray & Roberts, the company responsible for the construction at the M1 highway where a temporary bridge collapsed on Wednesday, said it was probing the incident.

Company spokesperson Ed Jardim said they did not immediately have all the details of the incident, but they had sent people to the scene.

“We have not been able to look at the cause as yet. At the moment, we are concentrating on ensuring that if there are any people injured, they are attended to quickly,” said Jardim.

He said the company would be issuing a statement shortly.

Source: News 24 wire