Bridge near LAC in U'khand collapses as truck with heavy equipment crosses it

Pithoragarh: A Bailey bridge, about 65 kms away from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), collapsed into a rivulet after an overloaded trailer carrying an excavator tried to cross it despite several warnings in Munsiyari area of Pithoragarh district on Monday morning, said police.

Two people, including the trailer driver and the operator of the excavator, were injured. The condition of one person is said to be serious, said police.

According to Mohammed Asif Khan, station house officer, Munsiyari police station, “The incident happened at around 9 am near Dhapa bend on the road towards the LAC.”

“At the time of the incident, there was construction work going on for another bridge near the collapsed one which was not in a good condition. When the trailer came there, the workers warned the driver not to cross it by claiming it will collapse as it can bear the load of only a four-wheeler at a given time. However, the driver tried to cross it, resulting in the accident,” said Khan.

The police reached there soon after the incident and rushed the two persons to a nearby hospital with the help of locals.

Khan said, “Of the two, the trailer driver - identified as Godhan, a resident of Almora district - is in stable condition while the other identified as Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Punjab, is serious.”

The police officer said that during the probe it was found that the trailer was transporting the excavator to a road construction project of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in the Lilam Valley near the LAC.

“After the collapse of the bridge, the area beyond that has been cut off as there is no other way to cross it. The BRO officials have said that they will soon repair the collapsed bridge to resume connectivity in the next 7-8 days after removing the damaged vehicles from the spot,” said Khan.