3 labourers killed as bridge collapses in Bantalab area of Jammu; two engineers suspended

Three labourers were killed and one seriously injured after they were buried under the debris of an old bridge in the Bantalab area where they were constructing a retaining wall. The bridge was damaged during last year’s floods.

Bodies of the killed labourers were recovered during a long search operation.

The bridge collapsed last night while the labourers were working on the retaining wall, officials said on Saturday.

Rescue teams of the Army, Police, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and fire and emergency department immediately launched a search operation.

The rescue teams first pulled out an injured labourer, who was identified as Tarsem Lal, the officials said.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary rushed to the spot at midnight and ordered the suspension of two engineers. The government has also constituted a committee to probe the incident.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls. He also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.

The Chief Minister has directed that a thorough inquiry be conducted to ascertain the cause of the collapse and to fix responsibility for any lapses.

The government has constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by Purshotam Kumar, Secretary Technical (Engineer-in-Chief), Public Works (R&B) Department.

Divisional Fire Officer, Fire and Emergency Services Department, Mohammad Jaffar, who was hit by a boulder during the rescue operation, has been hospitalised.

The deputy CM has ordered suspension of an assistant executive engineer and a junior engineer.

Meanwhile, Raman Bhalla, working president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, has described the incident as deeply disturbing and unacceptable. Such tragedies reflect serious lapses in planning, supervision, and safety compliance at work sites, he said.

He emphasized that mere inquiries are not enough unless they lead to strict action against those found negligent. “Accountability must not end on paper. Those responsible for compromising worker safety must face legal consequences,” Bhalla asserted.