Kota (Rajasthan): Rescuers Sunday recovered seven
bodies from the rubble of an under-construction bridge which
collapsed over a river near here, pushing the death toll to 30
even as NHAI set up a probe team while attributing human error
for the deadly accident.
Seven more bodies were extricated from the debris, IGP
(Kota) Rajiv Dasot said, adding there was possibility of some
more bodies buried under the concrete.
A four-member expert committee had been set up to probe
the collapse of the partially-constructed bridge which gave
way over river Chambal on Thursday, a top NHAI official told
reporters here.
"The collapse is prima facie a case of human negligence
with little possibility of any technical fault or the design,"
Subash Patel, Director in the Technical Board of the National
Highway Authority of India, said.
Virtually giving a clean chit to the two construction
companies -- Gammon India and Hyundai, he said these would
carry on the work as "we express our trust and confidence in
their capacity".
The NHAI had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for
each bereaved family, he said.
Terming the accident as the "worst tragedy" in recent
memory, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he had
directed all departments, engaged in construction work, to
maintain quality standards.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, December 27, 2009, 23:13