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An under-construction bridge over the Ganga River in Bihar’s Samastipur district collapsed on Saturday, leaving four workers injured. The incident took place during work on the high-profile Bakhtiyarpur to Tajpur four-lane bridge project.
Emergency services rushed the injured labourers to the Patori sub-divisional hospital. Local authorities confirmed that all injured workers are receiving medical care and are currently stable.
Technical Failure or Structural Collapse?
Initial reports from the site suggested that the centring structure of the bridge had given way near Pillar P-38. However, the state’s road construction department later clarified that a technical fault with a specialised heavy machine caused the accident.
According to officials, a component of the machine malfunctioned. This failure caused an under-hanging tray and a heavy iron angle to tilt and fall, striking the workers below. Patori DSP Birendra Kumar Medhavi stated that an official investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the mechanical failure.
Following the accident, senior officials paused construction at the site to conduct a thorough technical inspection. Repair work on the damaged section began shortly after.
Recurring Issue for Bihar’s Infrastructure
This latest Bihar bridge collapse comes just months after a similar structural failure on the Vikramshila Setu in Bhagalpur. In that previous case, an entire concrete slab collapsed, completely cutting off transport links between south Bihar and the Seemanchal region.
To restore temporary traffic flow after the Bhagalpur failure, the Border Roads Organisation had to step in and install temporary military-style Bailey bridges.
Impact on the Region
The Bakhtiyarpur-Tajpur bridge, also known as the Magadh-Mithila Bridge, is a vital infrastructure project for the state. Once completed, it aims to connect Patna district directly with Samastipur. The new route is designed to drastically reduce travel times between north and south Bihar while easing heavy traffic jams on the older Mahatma Gandhi Setu.
The road construction department released a statement emphasising that worker safety and structural quality remain their top priorities. They maintained that the project will still be completed within its original timeline despite this setback.
Sudeep Singh Rawat is a Copy Editor at NewsX Digital with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He covers national and international news, with a focus on politics, crime, technology, public affairs, and trending topics. Before joining NewsX Digital, he worked with Business Standard, The Sunday Guardian, and other digital media organisations. His reporting focuses on breaking news, enterprise stories, and explainers that inform readers through accurate, balanced, and context-driven journalism.
