A suspension bridge under construction in the poorest state of India collapsed for the second time in 14 months, the agency reported ANI.
The bridge was being built over the Ganges River in the district of Bhagalpurin the eastern state of Bihar.
Construction was scheduled to be completed in 2019but faced multiple delays, including the previous collapse on April 30 last year due to strong winds and rain.
“There was quite a stir here, it looked like there was an explosion. Later we found out that the bridge had collapsed,” Rakesh Kumar, a local resident, told ANI.
Eight men were on the bridge at the time of its collapse on Sunday, and it was reported that a guard was missingaccording to ANI.
Images of ANI they showed a section of the bridge partially submerged in water, with only a few pillars and connected cables sticking out to indicate where that part of the structure was previously located.
“We have conducted an investigation and I have reported the findings to the head of the district administration,” Amit Raj, deputy head of the District Administration, told ANI.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, speaking to reporters on Monday, also vowed “strict action.” “It’s not being built correctly, that’s why it’s collapsing. should have been stronger“, said.
In October last year, a colonial-era suspension bridge collapsed in the city of Morbi in the western state of Gujarat, throwing hundreds of people into the Machchhu River and causing 135 deaths.
It had been reopened just days before after months of repairs.
The bridge collapse comes as India is still grappling with last Friday’s train crash that killed at least 275 people.
Nearly 1,200 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a stationary freight train, it jumped the tracks and hit another passenger train passing in the opposite direction near Balasore district.
More than 900 people had been discharged from hospital while 260 were still receiving treatment, with one patient in critical condition, the Odisha state government said.
The state-owned Indian Railways, which says it transports more than 13 million people a day, has been working to improve its spotty safety record, blamed on aging infrastructure, and is conducting an initial investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
The Railway Board of India, the top executive body, has recommended that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is facing an election next year, visited the scene on Saturday to speak with rescue teams, inspect the wreckage and meet some of the injured. “The guilty will be severely punished,” Modi declared.
(With information from Reuters)
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Tragedy in India: a failure in the signaling system caused the crash of three trains that left almost 300 dead
Source-www.infobae.com