Six workers have lost their lives, and several others were feared trapped in an under-construction bridge collapse in the early hours of Friday in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district when a cyclone struck. The tragedy occurred at the Kandaur-Morakandar bridge construction site under the Kurara Police Station limits.
The officials said the massive concrete slab, a bridge pillar and temporary wooden shuttering structures collapsed during construction work while workers were working at night. The accident took place in the midst of a storm that struck the area around midnight.
Rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police, and district administration rushed to the site immediately after getting information about the collapse around 2 AM. Emergency teams have been searching for more workers as officials worry the workers may still be trapped under the heavy debris.
ASP Hamirpur Additional Superintendent Arvind Kumar Verma confirmed the deaths and said rescue efforts are continuing on a war footing.
“We reached the spot immediately after receiving the information around 2 am last night that a slab had collapsed and some people were trapped beneath it. SDRF is here, and rescue operations are going on. We have retrieved and identified five deceased,” he said. There were later reports that the death toll had climbed to six.
VIDEO | Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh: At least six feared dead and several injured as a portion of an under-construction bridge over Betwa river collapsed during storm. Rescue operations underway. More details are awaited.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 29, 2026
(Source: Third Party)
(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/xH6h9dGjyt
According to officials, the precise cause of the collapse will be determined only after a technical investigation. But early analysis suggests the severe storm had weakened the temporary support structures, so that the bridge segments and pillars collapsed.
Neighbours living near the construction site described terrifying scenes as strong winds and heavy weather conditions hit the area late at night. Residents in the area woke up because of the strong storm and saw a loud crashing sound from the bridge site, one villager told us.
"Around midnight, a very strong storm hit the area. Work on the bridge was going on all night. With the storm, the bridge segments broke and collapsed. The support pillars also gave way, and several workers got trapped underneath,” the resident said.
Sarvesh Tiwari, another eyewitness, said labourers were working hard on the bridge pillars and slabs when the weather turned dangerous. He said the collapse occurred just moments after the storm intensified.
“Work on pillars and slabs was in progress. Then a strong storm came, and a slab suddenly broke. There were workers on site because the night shift was on the job. Several people died after the structure collapsed,” he said.
The incident has raised very worrying issues of worker safety and construction standards in large infrastructure projects, especially in adverse weather conditions. Investigators will ask whether safety protocols were followed and if work should have been stopped after the weather advisory.
Heavy machinery is being used to clear the rubble, and ambulances and medical teams are at work on the site. Workman’s families, who were gathered near the site of the accident and anxious to know about the workers, were waiting for news of their loved ones.
The district administration has assured that the rescue of trapped workers and the investigation of the cause of the deadly collapse are taking place.
