3 labourers die as old bridge collapses in Uri

Baramulla, Mar 3:  At least three labourers working on an old and abandoned bridge at Mohra, Uri, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district were swept away in the River Jhelum after the bridge collapsed on Sunday afternoon. The efforts are on to retrieve the bodies of the missing labourers.

The missing labourers have been identified as Shakeel Ahmad Mir of Kupwara, Bilal Ahmad Reshi of Arizal, Budgam, and Muhammad Aslam Chauhan of Anantnag.

An official said that the incident occurred during the dismantling of the bridge.

He said three labourers were working on the bridge when the structure collapsed.

“Resultantly, all three labourers were swept away in the fast current of the River Jhelum,” the official said.

Soon after the incident, the officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, State Disaster Response Force, civil administration, and the Army reached the spot and started a rescue operation.

“The efforts are on to retrieve the bodies of the missing labourers,” SDPO Uri, Showkat Ali said. “The teams of the SDRF, Army, and Police carried out the rescue operation and efforts are on to retrieve their bodies.”

An official said that the bridge was not in use for a long time, especially after the authorities constructed a new bridge adjacent to this bridge.

He said that the authorities recently decided to dismantle the old bridge and a contractor was awarded the contract to dismantle it.

The incident has highlighted the lack of safety gear among the workers while engaged in life-threatening jobs.

The eyewitnesses said that despite the adverse weather conditions and the elevated water level in the River Jhelum following incessant rains, the labourers were not well equipped with necessary safety gear like safety belts.

They said that the labourers were working without such safety measures as a result of which they became victims of the mishap.

“Unfortunately, the labourers were not wearing any safety gear during the dismantling process,” said Muhammad Iqbal, who was standing by the site of the mishap. “It is a complete carelessness on the part of the contractor and the authorities.”

Meanwhile, over 15 structures in Uri suffered damage due to the ferocity of gusty winds and landslides on Saturday evening.

An official said that the windstorm, which swept through various parts of Uri, left a trail of destruction, affecting two Masjids and a Dar-ul-Aloom among other structures.

He said that the roofs of several buildings were ripped away by the forceful winds, however, no injuries or loss of lives were reported.

In Nambla village, the wall of Dar-ul-Aloom Faiz-ul-Quran, a significant religious institution, suffered damage due to the relentless winds.

In Nawarunda village, three residential houses owned by Naseer Ahmad, Muhammad Koli, and Sher Alam suffered damages in the windstorm.

“The fast-blowing wind left the rooftop of my house completely damaged. The intensity of the windstorm lasted for more than 20 minutes causing panic among the locals here,” said Naseer Ahmad.

He said that the affected families should be provided with some relief so that they can rebuild their damaged structures.

Many structures were also damaged in Gohalan and Gharkoot, with a Masjid in Nambla C getting damaged in winds.

The landslides, triggered by incessant rains, were reported in some areas of Uri, leading to additional damages to structures in Nambla, Gharkote, and Bandi.

Numerous electric poles were uprooted by winds, disrupting the power supply.

As a consequence of the relentless rains, snowfall, and forceful winds, more than a dozen villages remained cut off from the Uri tehsil headquarters.

The disrupted road connectivity compounded the challenges faced by the residents.

Meanwhile, Tehsildar Uri Ashiq Hussain said that they had prepared a list of the affected families and the damaged structures that would be submitted to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baramulla for further course of action.

“Due to the bridge collapse at Mohra, Uri, the civil administration at Uri remained busy with the rescue operation. We have compiled the list of damaged structures and will submit it to the higher officials on Monday,” he said.