Five dead after bridge collapse in Japan

Five workers have been killed and two are missing after a bridge collapsed on a remote atoll, the Japanese coastguard says.

Five workers have died and two more are missing after a bridge collapsed during construction work on a remote rocky atoll, the Japanese coastguard says.

The Okinotori atoll, also known as Douglas Reef, lies 1700 kilometres south of Tokyo and is the southernmost point of Japan's territory.

It is disputed by China, which says the islands are just a collection of rocks and should not be included in Japan's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

The workers were reinforcing the islands' shore protection when the bridge fell down in the early hours of Saturday, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.

A coastguard official said 16 workers had been at the site and nine were confirmed safe, adding no further details of how the accident occurred were immediately available.

"The coastguard has dispatched two escort ships and two jets for the rescue operation," he said.

The atoll covers an area of about 11 square kilometres and has been extensively eroded by waves.

Reinforced by concrete, at high tide only the tops of two rocks remain above the surface.