Labourer swept away after bridge across Alaknanda collapses

DEHRADUN: The structure of an under-construction bailey bridge, being built for transporting machinery and material as part of the Badrinath master plan, collapsed near the shrine town in Chamoli district on Wednesday.
As a result, a labourer, identified as Sonu, 28, went missing after being swept away in the strong currents of the Alaknanda river while another labourer, Raghuveer, 30, managed to save himself by swimming to safety.
Chamoli district magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana said, "It was an under-construction temporary bailey bridge built for transporting machinery and material and was not meant for movement of people."
Nand Kishore Joshi, disaster management officer for Chamoli district, added that both Sonnu and Raghuveer hailed from Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh.
He added that upon receiving the information of the incident, a team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) reached the spot and launched an operation to search for the missing labourer.