As heavy rains continued in parts of Uttarakhand on Friday, a part of the Dehradun-Rishikesh bridge over the Jakhan river near Rani Pokhari village collapsed. Illegal mining is suspected by some residents as the reason for the collapse. A video of the incident was captured. Local residents claim that the pillars under the bridge became hollow due to illegal mining.
Around noon, the bridge that connected all the tourist sites, the Char Dham and the airport, collapsed. According to estimates, The bridge would have remained safe for at least 100 years. In its 50th year, however, it collapsed. The construction of this bridge was accompanied by the approval of another bridge on the central road (Rajmarg). Despite approval, it has not been built.
The state of Uttarakhand has been experiencing heavy downpours for the past three to four days. Due to heavy rainfall, landslides have closed Rishikesh-Devprayag, Rishikesh-Tehri, and Dehradun-Mussoorie roads. Uttarakhand Police have warned people not to travel to the area until the weather improves. The Tehri-Garhwal district authorities have also closed National Highway 58 between Tapovan and Maletha due to heavy rainfall in the area.
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The weather department has issued a warning for heavy rain in Uttarakhand. Meteorologists predict heavy rainfall for Nainital, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh.
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