Another bridge collapses in Bihar, three weeks after similar accident

A portion of a bridge under construction in Bihar’s Kishanganj district caved in on Saturday, sparking revulsion, just three weeks after a bridge over the Ganges collapsed while being built in Khagaria district.

The latest incident took place around 400 km from Patna when a pillar of the bridge over river Mechi collapsed, Arvind Kumar, project director of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), said.

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The bridge on NH-327E would have linked Kishanganj and Katihar upon completion.

Claiming that no one was hurt in the accident, Kumar said a five-member team of experts has been set up to investigate the cause.

“Prima facie it seems to be an instance of human error during the piling process,” he said.

Earlier tragedy

On June 4, another under-construction bridge, which was supposed to connect Khagaria with Bhagalpur, had collapsed, killing a security guard.

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That incident evoked a massive outcry since it remained incomplete despite an initial deadline of November 2019.

The Bihar Engineering Services Association has expressed concern and stressed the need for a “structural audit” of all bridges in the state, whether already built or still under construction.

(With agency inputs)