A four-lane concrete bridge being built across the River Ganges in the east Indian state of Bihar has collapsed for the second time in just over a year, once again raising questions about the quality of its construction.
Video shows the 3-kilometre bridge dramatically crashing into the river on Sunday, sending a plume of debris and dust into the sky and waves rippling across the holy river.
The Sultanganj Bridge has collapsed twice since construction began in 2017, the first time in April last year before Sunday’s catastrophic failure. It’s not clear why the bridge collapsed last year or if those problems had been rectified.
Crowds of people on the river bank can be seen filming the bridge and shouting as it tumbles down.
On Monday, Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar said he had ordered an inquiry into the incident.
In a statement Monday, the Canadian design and engineering firm behind the bridge, McElhanney, it was aware of the “partial collapse” of the bridge and is “deeply concerned” about the safety and well-being of those affected by the incident.
The company will “cooperate with any investigation,” the statement added.
CNN has reached out to SP Singla Constructions, who was building the bridge but did not receive an immediate response.
According to McElhanney, the bridge was expected to include four lanes of traffic and a footpath, providing “an important new link across the Ganges.”
It was also expected to ease congestion on the state’s three existing road bridges, the firm said on its website.
The Sultanganj Bridge is not the only one to have collapsed in India in the last year. Last October, a suspension bridge gave way in the town of Morbi in Gujarat, killing 135 people.
