Kanpur: Six workers were killed and three others injured after a part of an under-construction bridge on the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district collapsed during a storm early Friday. The incident occurred around 3 am between Parsani and Kandaur villages when several labourers engaged in the bridge construction work were sleeping on the upper portion of a slab when it suddenly gave way, said Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation Managing Director Dharmveer Singh. He added that a three-member committee will probe the incident.
Rescue Operation and Casualties
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rescued three workers trapped under the debris. The rescue operation lasted for more than seven hours. The deceased were identified as Lokendra Nishad (22), Kuldeep Nishad (19), Sawant Yadav (28), Sabhajit (30), all from Banda district, and Pushpendra Singh Chauhan (34) and Rajesh Pal (42) from Hamirpur.
Government Response and Compensation
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives and termed the incident as extremely saddening. He conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. The government has suspended assistant engineer Gajendra Kumar Chaudhary for negligence, while disciplinary action will be taken against district project manager Dilip Kumar.
Details of the Collapse
Hamirpur District Magistrate Abhishek Goel said that the India Meteorological Department and the district administration had issued warnings of severe storms and heavy rain on Thursday evening, and people in various villages were alerted through announcements. “The fifth pillar of the bridge, which was 700.90 meters long and 7.5 meters wide, collapsed into three pieces. This caused the slab resting on top of it to fall down. Six workers were buried under the debris and died. Three people got trapped and were later rescued,” said the DM.
Construction Background
A senior official told TOI that due to extreme heat, work was being carried out from 8 pm to 6 am. Construction began in March 2024 and is slated to be completed by December 2026. DM Abhishek Goel added that engineers and technical experts from the Bridge Corporation are investigating the matter.
Legal and Political Reactions
SHO Lalpura RK Saroj said the bodies were sent for postmortem and debris removal work was underway. Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad termed the incident as painful and tragic. “I express my condolences to victims’ families and they should be provided financial assistance immediately,” he said.
