KENDRAPARA: At least two labourers were critically injured when a portion of under-construction railway bridge caved in at Tikarapanga village under Marsaghai police limits in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, on Thursday.
The injured workers were admitted to the district headquarters hospital at Kendrapada. Their condition is stated to be critical.
Ten others, who were trapped under the debris, were rescued with help of the locals. The collapsed bridge near Paika River is part of the much-delayed 82-km long Haridaspur- Paradip railway line.
Inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Marsaghai police station Pramod Kumar Mallick said the labourers were taken aback due to sudden caving-in of the under-construction bridge. At the time of incident, around 12 labourers were working at the site. A case has been registered against the construction company for causing injuries due to negligence, he said.
As the news spread, irate locals gathered at the site and demanded compensation for the workers injured in the incident alleging that the bridge structure collapsed due to poor quality of construction works by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). The locals also demanded stringent action against the officials of the construction company.
Joint general manager of RVNL (Bhubaneswar) Srinivas Sahoo, who visited the spot, said a portion of the iron-cast bridge caved in just before concrete roofing. “Two workers have sustained injuries. We are investigating the reason behind the incident,” he said.