People fall into rivulet as bridge slab collapses during demolition in Gujarat; no injuries
People fall into rivulet as bridge slab collapses during demolition in Gujarat; no injuries
Junagadh, Some people fell into a shallow rivulet in Junagadh district of Gujarat after a slab of a dilapidated causeway-like bridge collapsed during demolition, officials said on Tuesday.
No injuries were reported in the incident that occurred on Monday evening, less than a week after the Vadodara tragedy, when 20 people were killed after the Munjpur-Gambhira bridge partially collapsed.
Viral videos show some people falling into the stream while the excavator being used to demolish the bridge near Mangrol town tilting and sliding down the collapsed slope.
Junagadh Collector Anil Ranavasiya said the slab of the dilapidated bridge connecting Antroli and Keshod villages collapsed as it was being demolished. He stated that the people who fell into the shallow stream were onlookers who had gathered on the bridge.
The collector said the demolition of the ramshackle bridge- with two spans of five metres- was ordered as a precautionary measure.
"Out of about 480 bridges inspected over the last five to six days in Junagadh district, six bridges were notified and traffic movement blocked," Ranavasiya said, adding that the demolition of the bridge near Mangrol town was ordered on Monday.
Even though boards cautioning people against using the bridge were put up and traffic was blocked since Sunday, some individuals gathered at the spot when the structure was being razed.
"Our engineers had also warned people 3-4 times not to stand on the bridge but they ignored their pleas. The machine used for demolition tilted after removing a slab, causing people standing there to lose their balance and fall into the water. Fortunately, nobody was injured," he added.
Roads and Buildings Department's executive engineer for Panchayat, Abhishek Gohil, stated that the dilapidated bridge was being demolished for safety reasons.
"When it was being razed using a breaker machine, a large part of the slab of the bridge collapsed," an official release stated.
Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River after a segment of the 40-year-old bridge near Gambhira village, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed on July 9, killing 20 people.
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