Cuttack: A huge chunk of earth at one end of the Chhatra Bazar bridge caved in here on Wednesday evening. The incident took place at around 7 pm during the busy hours of the evening when people flock to the area for vegetable shopping. Two persons were killed in the incident while as many sustained serious injuries.
The bridge under construction will connect Chhatra Bazar and Malgodam. According to preliminary reports, a few people are stuck in the debris while two persons injured in the mishap have been rescued and shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital.
Reports added that the mishap occurred at one end of the century-old bridge. Construction work pertaining to the renovation of Taladanda Canal was on in the area, and local vegetable traders were advised not to carry out business at this site.
Senior police officials led by DCP Prateek Singh have rushed to the spot and monitoring rescue operations carried out by Fire Department and the ODRAF.
Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani termed the mishap as tragic and said that a thorough probe will be initiated to fix responsibilities.
Our priority at the moment is rescue and hospitalisation of the injured. So far, three persons who were stuck in the debris have been rescued and shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital.
Local traders blamed it on the contractor who is carrying out the work of renovation of Taladanda Canal and the adjoining road. “No safety precautions were in place. We have demanded an inquiry into the incident,” the traders said.
