At least six people were injured when a 15-year-old concrete bridge, linking Chamba town in Himachal Pradesh with Pathankot in Punjab, collapsed on Thursday. District Collector, Sudesh Kumar Mokhta, and other officials rushed to the spot as soon as the incident came to light and took charge of the situation.
“The collapse of the bridge is because of a default in the construction map or the poor use of material in the construction. We have ordered an inquiry and action will be taken”, Mokhta said.
Reportedly, a car, a mini truck and a motorcycle were passing the bridge when the incident took place. When the bridge collapsed, the motorcycle fell into the river, while the car and the mini truck got stuck.
According to ANI, the injured have been taken to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and are undergoing treatment.
Constructed under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the bridge reportedly worth Rs 100-crore was inaugurated by CM Virbhadra Singh in 2005. Reports say that its design was criticised earlier but no official paid heed to the matter then.
