Bihar and bridge collapses have become synonymous over the past fortnight. On Wednesday, a portion of a bridge over Gandaki river in Siwan district caved in marking the seventh such incident in the state in the past 15 days.
No casualties have been reported so far. The bridge, situated in the district’s Deoria block, connects several villages with Mahrajganj.
The exact cause of the bridge collapse on June 3 is being investigated. This is the second such incident in Siwan in the last 11 days, mounting concerns over the state of infrastructure in Bihar.
On June 22, a portion of a bridge collapsed in the Darounda area. Similar incidents were reported in districts like Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran, and Kishanganj recently, prompting the Bihar government to set up a high-level committee to investigate these occurrences.
Deputy Development Commissioner Mukesh Kumar said senior officials from the block have reached the site to find what led to the bridge collapse in Siwan district.
Repair work was going on the bridge
“The incident took place around 5 am today. As per initial information, the bridge was constructed in 1982-83. Repair work was going on the bridge for the last few days,” Kumar added.
Swelling Gandaki ‘weakening’ the bridge
Meanwhile, PTI reported villagers suggesting that heavy rainfall over the preceding days may have contributed to the collapse, with a surge in Gandaki River potentially weakening the bridge’s structure.
With inputs from PTI
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WATCH: 7th bridge collapses in Bihar in 15 days, mounts concerns over state of infrastructure
