Taipei: Taiwan's High Court on Thursday upheld negligent homicide convictions for four contractors over the 2019 collapse of Yilan County's Nanfang'ao Bridge, which resulted in the deaths of six fishermen and injuries to 12 others.

According to Focus Taiwan, the court rejected appeals from both prosecutors and defendants, maintaining prison sentences ranging from 18 months to two years for the four individuals, including a contractor surnamed Lin, engineer Wu, project manager Pien, and supervisor Chen. Wu received a five-year suspended sentence after confessing before the conclusion of oral arguments and was ordered to pay NT$250,000 to the treasury.

The court also upheld not-guilty verdicts for two former officials at the Su'ao Port office of Taiwan International Ports Corp., citing a lack of new evidence. The court determined that the collapse was primarily due to construction flaws, such as inadequate drainage in the anchorage bearings, which led to water accumulation and subsequent corrosion of structural components. It was noted that Chen was aware that some materials used did not meet project specifications.

During the trial, which spanned from November 2024 to January 2026, expert assessments unveiled discrepancies between the bridge's structure and its as-built drawings, alongside long-term corrosion from humid conditions. The court ruled that the four defendants had been negligent in areas including oversight and on-site supervision.

The court further stated that passing inspections does not guarantee a structure is free of defects, dismissing the defendants' argument that prior approval absolved them of responsibility. Meanwhile, the government has compensated victims and their families, and the port authority is pursuing further civil claims.

The catastrophic bridge collapse occurred on October 1, 2019, claiming the lives of three Indonesian and three Filipino fishermen. A replacement bridge was completed and opened to the public in December 2022.