Patna: A four-lane bridge connecting Sultanganj and Khagaria districts in Bihar collapsed this evening. This is the second time the under-construction bridge is crashing.
No fatalities have been reported.
The bridge was inaugurated by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in 2014. He ordered an inquiry into the incident and said strict action should be taken against the officials responsible, reported NDTV.
State BJP president Samrat Choudhary alleged that "corruption is rampant" in the Nitish Kumar-led government.
"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, said Bhagalpur District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen to PTI.
"We have received information about the collapse of the pillar and segment. The incident pertains to Parvatta. We have spoken to the engineers involved in the construction of the bridge. As of now, there is no report of loss of life and property," said Bhagalpur SDO Dhananjay Kumar to Live Hindustan.
"It is a major negligence. A high-level probe will be carried out and those guilty will be punished," said Sultanganj MLA Lalit Kumar Mandal.
"The slab of the bridge between pillars nine and 13 has collapsed. We have not received any information about any kind of damage. The cause behind the collapse is being probed," said Bhagalpur district magistrate Kumar Anurag.
The bridge snapped into two for the first time in December 2022 and no one was injured because it wasn't open to the public yet.