Bridge collapses in Darbhanga, breaks into three; no injuries reported

The incident occurred at about 11am when an overloaded truck was crossing through Sahorbaghat bridge linking Satighat in Kusheshwar Astha with Rajghat in Hasanpur block of Samastipur district

A bridge collapsed in Bihar’s Darbhanga district on Monday, officials said. The busy Sahorbaghat bridge over the Kamla river broke into three parts during collapse, the official added.

The screw pile bridge was old and repaired around 18-20 years ago. (HT photo)

The incident occurred at about 11am when an overloaded truck was crossing through Sahorbaghat bridge linking Satighat in Kusheshwar Astha with Rajghat in Hasanpur block of Samastipur district.

“A major accident was averted as a sand laden truck which was crossing over the bridge, stayed suspended in air from the broken bridge even as the driver and cleaner had a miraculous escape, the block development officer (BDO) of Kusheshwar Asthan Umesh Singh said.

A biker, who happened to cross the bridge during the time of mishap, also fell down from the bridge but escaped unhurt, the BDO added.

The screw pile bridge was old and repaired around 18-20 years ago, the BDO informed.

According to local sources, the bridge was a lifeline for several panchayats in Kusheshwarsthan block and a link between Darbhanga’s Kusheshwar Asthan with Samastipur, Hasanpur as well as Khagaria while catering to over 2-lakh population.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation of reconstruction of Satighat-Rajghat road on September 22, 2020 and a new bridge, to be constructed on the spot, was already part of the scheme, another official said.

The bridge was only link to connect Hasanpur railway station with Kusheshwar Asthan block in Darbhanga district, sources added.