Bridge collapses in Bihar: Which are the deadliest bridge mishaps in India?

On June 4, a four-lane under-construction bridge collapsed in the river Ganga at Bhagalpur in Bihar. This was just about 14 months after parts of it fell allegedly due to a loose cable. There’s anger and concern among people over poor construction and safety standards. India has about 1.72 lakh major and minor bridges. A study published in the international journal Structure and Infrastructure Engineering says that over the past 40 years in India, 2,130 bridges have either failed to function or collapsed at various stages of construction. This excludes culverts and pedestrian bridges.What are some of the deadliest bridge collapses in the past few years that people will remember for life? On October 30, 2022, Gujarat faced one of its worst bridge collapses. A pedestrian suspension bridge over the River Machchhu in Morbi district fell when the main cable upstream of the river snapped. The tragedy claimed 135 lives and injured at least 180. This 19th century bridge had re-opened just five days back following a lengthy closure for repairs. More than 500 people were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, far exceeding the official capacity of 125.In July 2020, a portion of the Sattarghat Bridge on the river Gandak in Bihar’s Gopalganj district collapsed. This occurred a month after the bridge was inaugurated with much fanfare by state chief minister Nitish Kumar. It was reported that the bridge could not withstand the pressure of the river. The bridge had taken eight long years to be completed.A heart-breaking incident occurred in Arunachal Pradesh on October 29, 2011, when a bridge collapsed. It killed mostly children. An overloaded old wire rope suspension foot bridge over the Kameng River collapsed when a group of 70 people got on the bridge to cross it while trying to catch a local insect. It killed at least 30.On October 29, 2005, a railroad bridge got swept away by flash flood near Valigonda, south of Hyderabad. The Delta Fast Passenger train derailed on its broken track, killing at least 114 and injuring more than 200. On August 28, 2003, a dilapidated bridge collapsed after heavy rains in Daman and Diu and fell into the river Damanganga. As many as 28 school children lost their life in the accident.Voice: Sonalika SinhaAudio Production: Prateek Kapoor