An under-construction bridge over the Ganga river in Bihar’s Katihar district collapsed on Thursday, The Hindu reported.
The collapse, which took place in the Bakia Sukhay village, was the 14th such incident in Bihar since June. There were no reports of any casualties.
The bridge was being built by the rural works department at a cost of Rs 3 crore, and was slated to be inaugurated soon. It would have provided residents of the Bakia Sukhay gram panchayat direct road access to Barari, the block headquarters.
Katihar District Magistrate Manesh Kumar Meena said that there was an increase in the river current, due to which two pillars collapsed, The Times of India reported.
Anwar Jamal, Chief Engineer, Katihar Flood Control Division, cited erosion caused by the river as the reason why the pillars collapsed. Residents said it had been raining continuously in the area for the past two days.
There has been a series of bridge collapses in the state this year. In the first week of June, at least three bridges collapsed in the Saran district amidst incessant rain.
Incidents of bridge collapse were reported in other districts including Siwan, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj which prompted the state government to set up a high-level committee to investigate these incidents.
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