Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu bridge collapse toll rises to three, 2 engineers suspended | India News
The accident occurred as workers were engaged in repair work on the bridge, which cracked after the 2025 flash floods and was buried under rubble after part of the structure suddenly gave way on Friday. A laborer named Tarsem Lal was rescued and admitted to the hospital with injuries, but three dead bodies were recovered in a 12-hour operation. The deceased have been identified as Panchu Shetty (50) of Odisha’s Ganjam district and Harish Kumar (28) and Raj Kumar (30), both residents of Chhattisgarh.“An official of the Fire and Emergency Department, Mohammad Zafar, was injured by a boulder during the rescue operation and was admitted to hospital,” an official said.Soon after the bridge collapsed, teams of police, army, SDRF, NDRF and civil administration rushed to the spot and launched a coordinated rescue operation. Heavy machinery including JCBs have been deployed to expedite search and rescue operations.Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Chowdhury visited the spot at midnight and ordered the suspension of Assistant Executive Engineer Sahil Verma and Junior Engineer Sajad Mir, pending an inquiry under Rule 331 of the J&K Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules-1956.The government has also set up a three-member inquiry committee tasked with investigating all aspects of the incident, including dereliction of duty by departmental officials, and specifically assigning responsibility to the implementing agency. The committee will recommend action against those responsible and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future. The report has been asked to be submitted within 15 days.
