Plying of truck causes old bridge to collapse in Siliguri, no casualties

Kolkata: A truck driver sustained minor injuries when an old bridge collapsed near Siliguri in North Bengal on Friday morning.

According to a senior official in the district administration, the middle portion of the bridge collapsed into a canal below at around 9.30 am, when a truck was crossing it. The vehicle got stuck in the broken portion of the bridge.

"The movement of loaded trucks is banned on this bridge but many such vehicles bound for north-eastern states continue to take that bridge. This accident is a result of the same," state North Bengal Development Minister Rabindranath Ghosh said.

According to sources, the bridge was constructed long ago and documents of the structure are not available.

State Tourism minister Gautam Deb, who visited the spot in the afternoon, said that the bridge is maintained by the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad (a sub-divisional body), which is run by the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

"I will report the incident to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee," Deb said. The truck was removed from the spot in the afternoon.

The bridge connects the Manganj and Phansidewa areas of Siliguri. Phansidewa is around 22 km from Siliguri.

This is the second incident of bridge collapse in the state in three days, after the Majerhat Bridge collapsed on September 4.