Another Under-Construction Bridge Collapses, This Time In Jharkhand

Ranchi: All of us have heard ‘London Bridge is falling down’, and are aware that it’s just a rhyme.

Now, we may have to rephrase that in India, considering the regularity with which bridge mishaps are taking place.

After four such incidents in Bihar this month, a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Jharkhand’s Giridih district.

The bridge was coming up over River Arga, to ease travel between Fatehpur and Bhelwaghati villages in Giridih’s Deori subdivision.

It was being constructed under the supervision of Road Construction department of the district– Path Pramandal Giridih — at an estimated cost of Rs 5.5 crore. Private firm Om Namah Shivay Constructions was given the task of building the bridge.

Video and photos of the incident show debris of the collapsed girder lying partially submerged in river as a pillar is seen tilting from one side.

No worker was injured.

Heavy rains may have led to the collapse of the concrete bridge on Saturday night, with velocity and volume of water in the river rising to alarming levels.

“The water was flowing at high velocity. At around 6.30 pm, the bridge started collapsing. By the time we reached the spot, a section of the bridge had already collapsed. We also heard a loud noise as the bridge collapsed. A pillar of the bridge also got tiled as the girder of the bridge fell into the river,” a local person told mediapersons.