NEW DELHI, Jun 5 200m section of unfinished transport bridge in the Indian state of Bihar collapsed into the water, there were no injuries or deaths, according to the Times of India.
This is the second collapse of this bridge in just over a year, previously part of the bridge collapsed in April 2022. At that time, a weakened cable was named as the cause of the collapse, while some experts blamed the use of low-quality building materials for the accident.
Construction of the 3.1 kilometer long bridge began in 2014 and was expected to be completed in 2019. Since then, this deadline has been extended four times. The construction cost was estimated at 17.1 billion rupees ($207 million).
Shortly after the bridge collapse video appeared on social media, state officials held a press conference where they said the collapse was part of a deliberate demolition of the bridge after experts noted design flaws in its design.
«It should be recalled that part of this bridge collapsed on April 30 last year. After that, we asked the Roorkee Institute of Technology to conduct a study,» Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashvi Yadav said.
In turn, the representative of the Department of Road Construction Pratyay Amrit said that the demolition was a «preventive measure.»
«It was decided that we should not risk and wait for the final report. Therefore, we continued to dismantle parts of the bridge. It was part of such a preventive measure,» he said.