A portion of a bridge over the Bakra river in Bihar‘s Araria district that collapsed on Tuesday took the lives of at least seven people on Wednesday. The state disaster response force (SDRF) team is carrying out search operations after seven people fell into the river.
The accident took place when a tractor carrying some people and a cyclist were crossing the bridge on Tuesday.
Araria sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Pushkar Kumar said, “Though the SDRF team is carrying on the search operation, no one has come forward to complain that a near or dear one was drowned or missing. Eyewitnesses’ accounts suggest that all the people were either rescued by local divers or they managed to swim to safety.”
A police official said another person who was filming the mishap had also fallen into the river and he later told police that all the people had managed to swim to safety.
A portion of the 200-feet-long bridge, which is around 20 years old, in the Jokihat police station area collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Pushkar Kumar said.
Early this month, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched a total of 217 road and bridge projects worth Rs 5,024 crore, including the 68.5 km long Dumri-Sarmera section of the much-awaited Bihta-Sarmera State Highway that has been designed as another bypass road on the south of the state capital.
Bihar is also gearing up for Assembly Election 2020 that is slated for October or November.
