Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (MS)
Bantwal, Apr 16: Seven people were injured when an under-construction bridge collapsed at Mallippady on the Barenja-Kurudakatte connecting road in Punacha village. The injured individuals have been admitted to hospitals in Puttur and Mangaluru.
Mahesh (63) from Nanjangud, Nagaraja (40) from Gadag, and Vijaya (35) from Puttur are receiving treatment at the hospital in Puttur. Yousuf (50), Mathob (32), and Aktarul (42), originally from Kolkata and working at a concrete mixing unit in Mani, are undergoing higher medical treatment at a hospital in Mangaluru.
Jawahar (28) has been discharged from the Puttur hospital after receiving first aid.
The bridge was being constructed over a large trench passing through Mallippady. It is reported that work on the slab using double centring was underway when the concrete mix being poured from above caused the bottom centering rod to slip, resulting in the collapse of the upper part.
The absence of supervisors at the site has been cited as a contributing factor to the mishap. Fortunately, a major tragedy was averted by providence.
The bridge stands at a height of 24 feet from the ground and the construction work was being carried out by KRDL. Experts attribute the incident to negligence in properly planning the work.