National

Three killed as bridge collapses in J&K

— PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD

Portions of a bridge that collapsed at Uri, some 100 km west of Srinagar, on Sunday.

SRINAGAR: Three persons were killed and 23 are missing after an under-construction bridge on the Jhelum river at Uri in Baramulla district collapsed on Sunday.

Navy divers were pressed into service for relief and rescue operations.

Twenty six labourers fell into the river, 97 km from here, after a portion of the bridge on which they were working collapsed around 9.25 a.m.

“So far, we have only recovered three bodies and efforts are on to rescue survivors, if any,” the district Superintendent of Police, Anand Jain told PTI.

Mr. Jain said slab cutters were being used to cut through the debris of the bridge as some labourers might be trapped under it.

The National Hydro Construction Corporation has announced an ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed in the accident and Rs. 50,000 to each of the injured, apart from meeting the expenditure on their treatment.

State Governor N.N. Vohra announced a magisterial inquiry by Deputy Commissioner Baseer Ahmad Khan into the incident.

Mr. Khan has been asked to complete the inquiry within a week. — PTI

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu