Girl dies, 64 injured in J&K bridge collapse
The accident happened when over 100 people crossed the bridge at a time even though it had the capacity only for 30-40 people
2 min read
The footbridge over the holy Devak stream collapsed near Chenani town of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district. A nine-year-old girl died and at least 64 people were injured, nearly 24 of them grievously, when a footbridge over the Devak stream collapsed due to overloading on Friday afternoon near Chenani town of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Chenani Sub Divisional Magistrate Pervez Ahmed Naik, the mishap took place around 2.30 pm at Beni Sangam where the Tawi merges into the Devak.
On the occasion of Baisakhi, more than 100 people were crossing the bridge at a time against its load-bearing capacity of merely 30-40 people, locals said, adding that this led to the mishap.
Devotees fell into the Devak where some people were already taking bath. The grievously injured were rushed to the Government District Hospital in Udhampur and from there, nearly seven critically injured ones were referred to the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu. Those with minor injuries were admitted at Chenani.
“One girl has died in the hospital,” Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar told PTI. According to sources, the deceased has been identified as Anu Kumari. The police have registered a case in the matter.
The bridge was constructed by the Lord Shiva temple’s committee on its premises for devotees, Naik said. Locals said they had collected donations to get the bridge constructed in 2007 after their repeated pleas to the successive governments fell on deaf ears. The need for a bridge over the Devak was felt as it had been difficult to cross it in view of floods during rain.
The bridge, made of iron girders, was 76 ft long, 5 ft wide and around 20 ft above the water level.
You May Like
