DEHRADUN: At least two labourers from Uttar Pradesh died and six others sustained injuries after a part of an under-construction bridge being built to connect Sirobagad and Narkota areas in Rudraprayag on the Char Dham all-weather road, collapsed around 9 am on Wednesday.
Soon after the accident, a team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached the spot to rescue the eight labourers who were trapped under the shuttering (net of iron rods) of the under-construction bridge. While two of the labourers could not be saved, the other six were taken to hospital. Out of the six injured, four were critically hurt and were shifted to another medical facility later.
The two victims were identified as Farrukhabad-resident Kanhaiya (22) and Gujarpur-resident Pankaj (20). "The iron cage made of rebar columns and beams collapsed on its own, leaving eight workers trapped under it. The exact cause of the collapse of the bridge -- being built as part of the all-weather road project -- is yet to be ascertained," NK Rajwar, district disaster management officer, told TOI.
Following the accident, Rudraprayag district magistrate (DM), Mayur Dixit, along with other senior district officials, reached the site and announced that a high-level inquiry would be conducted into the matter. The DM added that necessary action would be taken against the responsible officials of the executive agency tasked to build the bridge on Badrinath highway. The bridge construction work, being undertaken by RCC Construction Company, a private enterprise, had started around a month ago, officials said.
