Over 50 bus passengers had a miraculous escape on Tuesday when a portion of a bridge near the Rasulpur block office in Odisha's Jajpur district collapsed seconds after the vehicle crossed it.
The bus was on its way to Bhubaneswar from Balasore. The incident has affected vehicular movement on Kolkata-Chennai NH-16.
The collapsed portion of the bridge was on one side of the six-lane highway.
A tractor driver, who saw the portion of the bridge collapse, prevented other vehicles from using it.
"I was proceeding towards Kuakhia from Khaanditar on my tractor. When I reached the Rasulpur block office, I heard a loud sound. Before I could imagine what happened, I saw a portion of the bridge collapse. I blocked the highway by putting my tractor near the site and guided vehicles to take an alternative road," tractor driver Raghunath said.
Later, police arrived and controlled traffic movement on the NH between Panikoili and Chandikhole stretch.
"Traffic was diverted through the other side of the highway. Police personnel have been deployed on both sides of the bridge to divert vehicles," said Srikant Kumar Barik, IIC of Kuakhia police station.
A team of officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) visited the spot and inspected the bridge. Although the reason is yet to be ascertained, NHAI project director (Chandikhole) Jai Prakash Verma said it could be due to sheet failure.
"Preliminary investigation suggests a portion of the bridge constructed in 2007 has collapsed due to sheet failure. I have visited the spot to take stock of the situation. A technical team has arrived at the spot to ascertain the reasons for the collapse. A probe will be conducted and action will be taken as per findings,” he said.
Jajpur MP Sarmistha Sethi visited the bridge and said she would convene a meeting of NHAI officials to find out how the bridge could collapse in 15 years.
Odisha Private Bus Owner's Association leader Barada Prasanna Acharya demanded a case against NHAI authorities.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
