Two killed as bridge collapses in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar, March 9, 2022

At least two persons were killed while another one sustained injury after a portion of an old bridge in Odisha's Cuttack city collapsed on Wednesday evening, a police official said.

The accident occurred when renovation and expansion work of the Taladanda Canal road near the bridge, connecting Chhatra Bazar and Malgodown, was underway.

Following the incident, fire service personnel and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams rushed to the spot to rescue the persons trapped under the debris.

During the operation, three persons were extricated and taken to the SCB Medical College, where doctors declared two dead. The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained.

"It is a very unfortunate incident. Two workers engaged in the construction work have died while another got minor injury," Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S. K. Priyadarsi said.

Cuttack Municipal Commissioner Ananya Das visited the spot and said the incident occurred when the renovation work was going on.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed deep grief at the death of two persons in the incident and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh for the next-of-kin of the deceased, and directed best medical treatment be provided to the injured and wished a speedy recovery.

The Chief Minister has also ordered an inquiry into the circumstances leading to this incident.

IANS