Bihar: Portion of newly constructed bridge over Bakra river collapses in Araria; WATCH dramatic videos

A section of a newly constructed bridge over the Bakra river collapsed in Pararia village of Bihar’s Araria district on Tuesday, according to a police officer. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties.

The bridge, built by the state government, had not yet been opened to the public due to the unfinished approach roads. It serves as a link between Kursa Kanta and Sikty areas in Araria district.

Amit Ranjan, Superintendent of Police (SP), Araria, said, told PTI, “A portion of a newly constructed bridge over Bakra river has collapsed. Officials have reached there to examine the matter."

The cause of the incident is not yet known, he added.

"The bridge has collapsed due to negligence by the construction company's owner. We demand that the administration should conduct an investigation," said Sikty MLA Vijay Kumar on the bridge collapse.

Numerous videos capturing the bridge's collapse quickly spread across social media platforms, going viral.

In 2020, heavy rainfall caused the collapse of the same bridge near Udahat, under the jurisdiction of the Jokihat police station. Twelve individuals, including four motorcyclists, fell into the Bakra river as a result.

Few months back, tragedy struck in Bihar's Supaul district early Friday morning as a section of an under-construction bridge collapsed, claiming the life of one labourer, with several others feared trapped beneath the debris.

The bridge, spanning 10.2 kilometers over the Koshi river and intended to connect Bheja in Madhubani with Bakaur in Supaul district, was under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).