India - Metro bridge collapses in Delhi

[John Ashworth]

Metro bridge collapses in Delhi

Page last updated at 07:49 GMT, Sunday, 12 July 2009 08:49 UK
BBC


At least five people have died and 15 have been injured after a partially constructed bridge collapsed in Delhi, Indian officials say.

A pillar supporting part of the structure collapsed, a spokesman for the Delhi Rail Corporation said.

The men who died were reported to be labourers working on the bridge, part of the city's new metro system.

The accident happened in the early hours of Sunday morning. Rescue crews are checking others are not trapped.

A labourer working on the site said that at least 25 men were working there when a concrete supporting pillar collapsed, Reuters reports.

"Sacks of cement were being taken up. Two to three were taken up and then suddenly the bridge collapsed," Mukesh said.

A police spokesman said the accident happened as workers lifted heavy concrete slabs for the bridge.

One slab slipped, crushing the metal beams of the bridge beneath and rupturing a water pipe.

It is the second accident involving metro construction projects in less than a year.

In October, two people were crushed to death and 12 injured when another bridge under construction collapsed on to a bus and cars below.


Metro rail bridge collapse kills 5 in India

CNN 12th July 2009

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A portion of a partially built bridge for New Delhi's metro rail network collapsed Sunday, killing five people and injuring 15, authorities said.

The crash occurred when a metal beam supporting pillars gave way, Delhi Metro Rail Corp. spokesman Anuj Dayal told CNN.

Concrete slabs came crashing down, burying workers beneath, officials said.

The dead included one site engineer, said Mohammad Akhlaque, police sub-inspector.

New Delhi launched its metro system six years ago. Construction on new lines has been proceeding at a frenzied pace as the city gets ready to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Hailed as a relief in India's traffic-congested capital, the metro has a tarnished safety record.

Part of a another bridge being built to extend the rail system collapsed last October, pinning a bus underneath and killing its driver.


Deaths after Delhi bridge collapse

Al Jazeera
UPDATED ON:
Sunday, July 12, 2009
10:04 Mecca time, 07:04 GMT

At least five people have been killed and another 15 injured after a section of a partially-constructed New Delhi metro bridge gave way, a rail service spokesman said.

The accident on Sunday happened when a pillar supporting a part of the carriageway collapsed, Anuj Dayal said.

"We are investigating the matter. It appears that there is a problem in the design of the pillar of the bridge," Dayal said.

The dead were labourers who were among a group of 30 men working at the site in south Delhi.

"Two of the injured are in a serious condition" while some workers had been discharged after first aid, he added.

The New Delhi metro system, launched in 2002, has been lauded for its cleanliness and efficiency and has revolutionised travel in the city.

Sunday's accident is the second major incident involving the Delhi metro service in less than a year.

In October, two people were crushed to death and 12 injured when a bridge being built to extend the metro system collapsed onto a bus and cars.