Seven injured as under-construction bridge collapses in Bihar's Vaishali
Seven workers were injured when a launching girder failed at an under-construction four-lane bridge in Vaishali, Bihar. NHAI has ordered a technical assessment.
Seven people were injured on Thursday when a section of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Bihar's Vaishali district. The structure is part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, a Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways programme aimed at expanding and upgrading the country's road network.
The accident occurred near Itwaripur village, within the jurisdiction of Lalganj police station, during four-lane construction work. Vaishali Superintendent of Police Shubhank Mishra and Sub Divisional Police Officer Gopal Mandal inspected the site after the incident was reported.
In a press release, Vaishali Police said first aid was administered to all the injured, and three of them were referred to Sadar Hospital in Hajipur for further treatment. Senior officials who visited the spot directed the concerned authorities to investigate the incident and to examine whether the construction company had complied with prescribed safety standards. Further action is underway, the police said.
One worker was trapped beneath a machine for roughly an hour and a half, sustaining a leg fracture. He was eventually rescued safely with the help of a gas cutter.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said in a post on X that the incident took place during the movement of a launching girder at an under-construction four-lane bridge on the Bakarpur–Manikpur section of NH-139W in Hajipur. It attributed the incident to a technical problem in the launching girder system.
NHAI stated that a detailed technical assessment is being carried out to determine what caused the malfunction, and that appropriate action would follow based on its findings. The authority said it gives the highest priority to the safety and well-being of workers and all stakeholders associated with the project, as well as to all National Highway projects nationwide.
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav criticised the state government over the collapse of the beam launcher. He alleged that substandard construction materials, poor quality, disregard for standards, irregularities in inspections and the corrupt role of National Democratic Alliance leaders were behind repeated bridge collapses in Bihar.
In a post, Mr. Yadav claimed that nearly half a dozen labourers were trapped and injured after yet another under-construction bridge collapsed "under the weight of corruption", and alleged that the NDA government would try to cover up the matter.