In Bihar’s Bhagalpur, a four-lane bridge that was still under construction collapsed last night for the second time in a year, according to a video. As of yet, no fatalities have been reported.
Sultanganj and Khagaria districts are connected by the bridge, which Chief Minister Nitish Kumar officially opened in 2014.
The Chief Minister demanded an investigation into the situation and vowed to punish the at-fault officials severely.
“Yes, I have received the information that 4-5 pillars of the Aguwani-Sultanganj under-construction bridge collapsed. The administration is in touch with officials of the department concerned,” Bhagalpur District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen was quoted saying by news agency.
Samrat Choudhary, the state BJP president, brought attention to the incident by alleging that “corruption is rampant” in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar administration.
In the Begusarai area, a bridge split in half and plunged into the Burhi Gandak river in December. Since there was no access road, the bridge had not yet been publicly opened to the public. No one was hurt in the incident. An official stated at the time of the tragedy last year, “It was to be inaugurated soon, but it collapsed before that.”
