Over 12 fall into river as Araria bridge collapses

ARARIA: Over 12 people, including four motorcyclists, fell into Bakra river and went missing after a portion of an iron bridge over the river, popularly known as Bradia bridge, collapsed near Udahat under the Jokihat police station area in the district, 20km from here, around 3pm on Tuesday.
Araria SP Hriday Kant said trained divers have been pressed into service to rescue the people who fell into the river.An eyewitness said two people were rescued till evening.
District magistrate Prashant Kumar C H said the administration is on its toes to rescue the people. “The exact number of people who fell into the river could not be immediately ascertained,” he added.
Eyewitnesses said a goods-laden tractor and autorickshaws carrying people also fell into the river. Pradip Yadav, a local, said the incident has created panic in the area.
Md Aftab, another local, said a crane was pressed into service to pull out the sunk tractor, motorbikes and three-wheelers from the riverbed. “The divers worked till late in the evening and they will resume search operations in the morning. Police personnel and government officials are camping at the site,” Aftab added.
The ill-fated iron bridge was built during the British era. Though the state government has constructed a bridge parallel to the one which collapsed on Tuesday, it is yet to become operational.