SRINAGAR: Bodies of three workers, who were trapped in the debris of an under-construction bridge that collapsed on Friday in Jammu's Bantalab, were recovered in the early hours of Saturday.
The deceased workers are said to be residents of Chhattisgarh.
The incident occurred near the Thathar petrol pump in outskirts of Jammu on Friday afternoon, when a portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed, trapping four labourers.
One of the trapped workers was rescued by emergency teams on Friday and is undergoing treatment at a local hospital, where his condition is reported to be stable.
The rescue operation was completed after the recovery of the three bodies.
Teams of SDRF, NDRF, Police, Army and civil administration had launched a rescue operation immediately after four workers were trapped at around 3.30 pm Friday.
The workers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge damaged in last year's flash floods.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Singh, who visited the accident site around midnight, said the government has taken serious note of the incident. He announced the suspension of two Assistant Executive Engineers and a Junior Engineer, and ordered the attachment of the in-charge Executive Engineer.
He said an inquiry would examine whether the contractor adhered to standard operating procedures during the repair work, adding that the contractor would be blacklisted.
The government has constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by Engineer Purshotam Kumar, Secretary Technical (Engineer-in-Chief), Public Works (R&B) Department, to probe all aspects of the bridge collapse.