In what can be deemed as a shocking turn of events, a bridge has collapsed on the 15th of May 2018.
The flyover which was under construction had fallen off near a railway station in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. At least 19 were reported as dead, while many are still trapped under the rubble. The death toll is expected to rise.
The incident took place in front of the Varanasi Cantt Railway Station.
“Many cars are buried under the heap of rubble and over two dozen persons have been injured in the incident. The death toll may go up,” a police official said.
According to the DGP O.P. Singh, additional police were sent to Varanasi to execute the rescue operation. A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also been dispatched to help the authorities in clearing the debris and pulling out the injured from the debris.
The Uttar Pradesh Bridge Construction Corporation was constructing the 2261-metre-long bridge at a cost of Rs 129 crore, officials said. The span which fell today was laid barely three months ago, they added.
READ ALSO: A portion of an under construction flyover collapsed over people, 12 died
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had mourned for the loss of lives. He said: “My condolence to the affected families. I have sent [Deputy] CM & minister Neelkanth Tiwari to the spot. Formed committee to look into the incident, report to come in 48 hours.”
“Five teams of NDRF (250 jawans) with full equipment rushed to the spot of the accident in Varanasi. Compensation of Rs500,000 for kin of those dead and Rs200,000 for seriously injured in the incident,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, too, expressed his grief through a tweet: “Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected.”
“I spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Ji regarding the situation due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. The Uttar Pradesh Government is monitoring the situation very closely and is working on the ground to assist the affected,” he said.
Yogi Adiyanath had formed a committee consisting of 3 members to investigate the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its findings within 48 hours, said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.
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