At least 7 injured after under-construction bridge collapses in Bihar’s Vaishali

At least seven people were injured after a section of an under-construction bridge collapsed in the Jalalpur area of Bihar’s Vaishali district on Thursday (Sep 10). The incident took place while construction work was in progress, when a large portion of the bridge structure suddenly gave way, sending construction material and steel components crashing to the ground.

Six people sustained injuries in the collapse and were taken for medical attention. Following the incident, a large crowd gathered at the site as authorities assessed the situation.

The officials said that the bridge was being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

“Seven people were injured, and they were taken to a government hospital for treatment. The victims sustained minor injuries,” District Magistrate Varsha Singh told PTI.

What NHAI said

In a statement, NHAI said the incident happened when a launcher was being moved during the construction work on NH-139W.

“No damage has been caused to the bridge structure in the incident,” it said.

“The NHAI remains fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality, ensuring the safety of workers at the worksite, and completing the construction within the stipulated timeline. To prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future, safety standards and protocols are being strictly reassessed,” it added.

Opposition slams NDA govt

In a post on X, Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav slammed the NDA government over the incident.

“In Vaishali district, reports indicate that nearly half a dozen laborers were trapped and injured after yet another under-construction bridge collapsed under the weight of corruption. Several laborers are in critical condition,” Yadav wrote.

“Substandard construction materials, poor quality, disregard for standards, irregularities in inspections, and the corrupt role of NDA leaders are the main reasons behind the continuous bridge collapses,” he claimed.

The project is part of a nearly 38.8-km road corridor linking Bakarpur in Saran district to Manikpur in Muzaffarpur district through Lalganj in Vaishali. Authorities have ordered an investigation to determine what caused the collapse and assess whether adequate safety measures were being followed at the construction site.