Under-construction flyover beams collapse in Vizag, two killed

VISAKHAPATNAM: Two persons were crushed to death and three others received injuries after two concrete beams of an under-construction flyover on Anandapuram-Anakapalle road collapsed near Puppala junction of Anakapalle town in Vizag district on Tuesday evening.
The flyover is being constructed as part of the six-lane project of NH-16 by the National Highways Authority of India. A private construction firm is executing the work.The accident led to a major traffic jam on the road with thousands of vehicles stranded. Eyewitnesses said two beams of the under-construction flyover suddenly caved in, trapping two vehicles that were passing underneath.
Anakapalle DSP K Sravani said the concrete structures collapsed on a car and a tanker truck. Two people who were in the front seat of the car were crushed and died on the spot. Two women in the back seat were rescued. Similarly, a man in the tanker truck was rescued by the police. The deceased were identified as Satish Kumar and Sushant Mohanty, both residents of Sriharipuram in Vizag city.
The wives of Kumar and Mohanty were rescued. Police shifted the injured to a nearby hospital, where their condition is said to be stable. The two bodies are yet to be retrieved from the car, which lies crushed beneath the concrete beams. “ Kumar and Mohanty along with their wives had come to Anakapalle for darshan of a local deity. The tragic incident happened when they were returning home,” Sravani said.
Mechanical or structural fault is suspected have led to the incident. Police said they are investigating the case from all angles and will register a case if they find any negligence on the part of the contractor.