10 killed in Rangchang Bridge collapse

COLLAPSED BRIDGE WAS LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD, CONSTRUCTED BY PROJECT SWASTIK AT THE COST OF Rs 2.7 CRORE
GANGTOK, 19 Dec: In a continuing string of tragedies hitting the State, 10 people are feared killed in a bridge collapse at Rangchang Khola, about 18 kms from Singtam towards Dikchu on the Singtam-Mangan highway. The incident took place between 1 and 2 p.m. today when a 48-wheeler heavy trailer engaged by the Teesta Urja company was attempting to cross the bridge span. Just as the vehicle was at middle of the bridge, the entire span collapsed, taking along with it the vehicle and all inside it along with 4 pedestrians. The vehicle was on its way to Chungthang from Siliguri. Teesta Urja is constructing the Teesta Stage III hydel project at Chungthang. Six people are believed to have been on board the vehicle at the time. Given the size of the 48-wheeler, there were no other vehicles on the bridge at the time.

Only three bodies could be recovered till late evening today. However, the police along with the district administration are hoping that there will be survivors when they finally get through the huge slabs of concrete and to the 48 wheeler in which the people are trapped. Of the feared dead, two are local residents of the area, two from Teesta Urja and 6 from Upper India company.
Most astonishingly, this is the Rangchang bridge which has collapsed, a little over two years since it was inaugurated. The bridge, constructed and maintained by Project Swastik, was inaugurated on 03 April, 2009. Even the administration and the police cannot provide an immediate reason behind the collapse in such short a span of time. GREF engineers and other technicians had been called in by the DC [East] to ascertain the cause of the collapse.
The immediate priority is to rescue and recover all the trapped bodies. [read accompanying report for details]

Residents of the area are convinced that the bridge collapsed under the weight of the 48-wheeler, which, apart from its own girth, was also carrying an enormous transformer to the Teesta Stage-III project site at Chungthang. Although this load managed to get across several bridges [many of which are rather weak in appearance] on NH 31A without incident till it reached this spot, it was when the trailer was right in the middle of the bridge that it just “broke”, collapsing in a huge debris, cleaving the entire bridge clean from both ends. There is absolutely nothing left standing at either end to indicate that there was a bridge here.
The bridge is informed to have a load-bearing capacity of 70 tonnes and the trailer, it is suggested, weighed around 60 tonnes. Teesta Urja officials at the spot, however, refused to confirm the exact weight of the vehicle.
Foreman, Teesta Urja, Rubul Islam, present at the site, reiterated that the vehicle was very much within the permissible load limit. He even stated that the trailer carrying the transformer attached to the 48 wheeler had not even got on the bridge completely when it collapsed. He has squarely blamed the accident on the bridge’s poor construction.
Out of ten people suspected killed, two were residents of nearby Tumin-Barang village, 6 were from Upper India Transport Company and two from Teesta Urja.  There were 4 pedestrians at the time of the accident crossing the bridge who were heading towards Kokaley. Thal Bahadur Gautam, Bholanath Gautam, Tika Darjee and Kham Bahadur Basnett of Tumin Barang fell with the bridge, only two of them survived.
While speaking to NOW!, Kham Bahadur, 62, one of the injured, said that he was fortunate as he was at one end of the bridge and held on to the railing when the collapse occured. He, along with the other injured, Tika Darjee, were rushed to the Singtam Hospital.
While the personnel belonging to Upper India have not yet been identified, the two belonging to Teesta Urja have been identified as Srinavas, an engineer, and Kali Mohan Burman, a supervisor, with the Teesta Urja powerhouse located at Singhik.
Of the 3 bodies recovered, one has been identified as that of Thal Bahadur Gautam and the other two from Upper India company.
Upon hearing the news, police personnel from Singtam PS led by the PI and SDPO Rangpo reached the spot and were able to recover the three dead bodies along with the help of local youth, police personnel and personnel from fire service.  The BDO Tintek, TD Denzongpa, also reached the spot. The DC [East], V Anandan, SP East Dr. MS Tuli, SDM Gangok Dr. AB Karki, also arrived at the spot shortly after. The area MLA Tumin-Lingee, Ugen T Gyatso Bhutia, area MLA Khamdong-Singtam, Am Prasad Sharma also reached the spot.  The medical team comprises of Dr. Mohan Thapa, MO, Dikchu PHC also rushed to the spot with a medical team.
No official statement has arrived yet from the GREF.