Jammu, May 01 (KNO): A portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area of Jammu on Friday, leaving one labourer dead and another injured, while rescue operations are underway to trace two workers still trapped under the debris.
An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that four labourers were working beneath the bridge at the Thathar area of Bantalab when a section of the structure suddenly gave way, trapping them.
Soon after the incident, teams from Police, Army, SDRF, NDRF and the civil administration rushed to the spot and launched a joint rescue operation. One injured labourer was pulled out alive and shifted to a hospital for treatment, while another was found dead, the official said.
He said that efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining two trapped labourers. “JCBs and other machinery have been pressed into service to clear the debris. Despite darkness, the rescue operation is underway and teams are trying to complete it at the earliest,” he said.
Additional District Development Commissioner (ADC) Jammu, Thakur Sher Singh told KNO that one person has died while another has been rescued alive in an injured condition. “Two more labourers are still trapped under the debris. Teams of SDRF, NDRF, Army and J&K Police are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing,” he said.
When asked about the time required to complete the rescue, he said, “The operation is underway on a war footing. We hope to locate them soon.”
Singh further said that four workers were trapped in the incident, while around twelve others were working nearby. “They were strengthening a portion of the bridge that had been damaged in previous floods when the incident occurred,” he added—(KNO)