At least 60 people have been killed and 100 are missing after a bridge collapsed while it was under construction in southern Vietnam.

The disaster happened after scaffolding on some parts of the bridge, came apart early on Wednesday.

About 250 engineers and workers were on site at the time.

"They are still pulling out bodies from the rubble, I could hear the screams," a worker told Reuters news agency.

The deputy head of the Can Tho police, Le Viet Hung , said rescue teams were digging through the rubble in search of survivors. "It was total chaos. It sounded like a huge explosion. It's the biggest accident I've ever seen."

Dozens of workers help to rescue their friends from the wreckage.

The bridge was being built across the river in the southern city of Can Thothat and linking the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.

Construction on the 2.75km, four-lane bridge started in 2004 and was expected to be finished next year.