Workers Injured as Beam Launcher Collapses at Bihar Bridge Site

Several workers were injured on Thursday when a concrete slab and a beam launcher collapsed during the construction of a six-lane bridge in Bihar's Vaishali district, officials said.

The bridge is being built by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on National Highway 139W. According to the district magistrate, Varsha Singh, seven people were hurt and taken to a government hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries.

In a statement, the NHAI said the incident took place while a launcher was being shifted as part of the bridge construction work. The authority said the bridge structure itself did not suffer any damage.

The NHAI added that it is committed to maintaining quality standards, ensuring worker safety at the site and completing the project on schedule. It said safety standards and protocols are being strictly reassessed to prevent similar incidents.

The project is part of a road corridor of nearly 38.8 km that will connect Bakarpur in Saran district to Manikpur in Muzaffarpur district via Lalganj in Vaishali district.

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav criticised the NDA government over the accident, alleging that substandard construction materials and irregular inspections were among the reasons behind repeated bridge collapses in the state.

Authorities have begun an investigation into what caused the collapse and into the safety measures in place at the construction site.