Bridge Collapse Kills 13 in India
December 2, 2006
NEW DELHI – A foot bridge collapsed onto a train car in eastern India on Saturday, killing at least 13 people.
The 150-year-old bridge at the Bhagalpur station in the eastern state of Bihar was being dismantled when it collapsed onto a train underneath,
Seven bodies have been pulled out of the wreckage and six bodies are still trapped inside, said local government administrator Viplav Kumar, who was at the scene.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad ordered an inquiry and suspended two railway engineers who were responsible for dismantling the bridge.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told the Press Trust of India news agency that apparently safety norms had not been followed and called the incident an “avoidable tragedy.”