Bihar bridge collapse: 15-year-old bridge over Gandaki River collapses in Saran, third in past 24 hours

A 15-year-old bridge over the Gandaki River collapsed in Bihar's Saran district on 4 July, marking the third bridge collapse incident in the district within 24 hours, India Today reported quoted District Magistrate Aman Samir.

The bridge is used to connect villages in Saran to the neighbouring Siwan district.

According to the India Today report, at least 12 bridges have collapsed across Bihar in the past 17 days. No casualties have been reported yet. 

The latest bridge collapse occurred a day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a survey of all old existing bridges in the state to identify those needing urgent repairs.

The bridge collapse in Saran also marked the tenth such incident in the state in just over a fortnight.

“The latest incident was reported from Saran, which witnessed two more bridge collapses in the last 24 hours,” District Magistrate Aman Samir told newswire PTI.

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Bihar government to undertake a structural audit and set up an expert committee to identify bridges that can be strengthened or demolished based on the findings.

It was filed by advocate and petitioner Brajesh Singh, who raised concerns regarding the safety and longevity of the bridges in the state.

“The small bridge was constructed 15 years ago. I am going to the spot. Several other officials of the district administration have already reached there. The exact cause of the bridge collapse is yet to be ascertained, but desilting work was recently undertaken," the district magistrate told PTI.

On Wednesday, the Saran district witnessed the collapse of two small bridges—one in the Janta Bazar area and another in the Lahladpur area.

“A high-level probe has been ordered to find out the reason for the collapse of these small bridges in the district," the DM said.

With agency inputs.