Three Dead as Bridge Collapses During Repair Work in Jammu's Bantalab

JAMMU: Rescue workers pulled out another body from the debris of a collapsed bridge in Thuther area of Bantalab in Jammu, taking the toll to three. Govt has initiated a probe and suspended two engineers. The accident took place when workers were engaged in repair work on the bridge, which had developed cracks following the 2025 flash floods, and got buried under the rubble after a section of the structure suddenly gave away on Friday. While one worker, Tarsem Lal, was rescued and hospitalised with injuries, three bodies were retrieved during a 12-hour operation. The deceased were identified as Panchu Sethi (50) from Odisha's Ganjam district, and Harish Kumar (28) and Raj Kumar (30), both from Chhattisgarh. "An official of the Fire and Emergency Department, Mohammad Jaffar, was also injured after being hit by a boulder during the rescue operation, and has been admitted in hospital," said an official. Soon after the bridge caved in, teams comprising police, Army, SDRF, NDRF and the civil administration rushed to the site and launched a coordinated rescue operation. Heavy machinery, including JCBs, was pressed into service to expedite the search and rescue efforts. Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary visited the spot at midnight and ordered the suspension of assistant executive engineer Sahil Verma and junior engineer Sajad Mir, pending inquiry under Rule 331 of the J&K Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules-1956. Govt has also constituted a three-member inquiry committee that has been tasked to probe all aspects of the incident, including any dereliction of duty by departmental officers, and fix responsibility, especially of the executing agency. The committee will also recommend action against those responsible, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future. It has been directed to submit its report within 15 days.