Karwar-Goa Kali Bridge collapses; one injured after lorry falls into river

Mangalore Today News Network

Karwar, August 7, 2024: A bridge built across the Kali river collapsed near Kodibag, Karwar in the early hours of Wednesday.

Local fishermen rescued the driver of a truck that plummeted into the river. The truck was traveling from Goa towards Karwar.

The 40-year-old bridge is said to have collapsed at around 1 am. Three portions of the bridge collapsed simultaneously.

There are two bridges on National Highway 66 over the Kali river connecting karwar with Goa. The old bridge that was constructed in 1983 has collapsed. Sources say both the bridges were in use as officials had claimed that the old bridge was fit enough to carry vehicles.

A new bridge was constructed right next to the old bridge in 2018. However, as a precautionary measure, Deputy Commissioner K Lakshmi Priya has banned the movement of vehicles on the new bridge also.

Speaking to the media, MLA Satish Sail charged that IRB, the company that has taken the responsibility of laying the 4lanne Highway has not conducted the proper stability test of the bridge and allowed vehicular movement on the old bridge. This resulted in the tragedy, he said.

It can also be recalled here that the company was also in the news for the wrong reasons recently after a massive landslide on National Highway 66 near Shirur village in Ankola that resulted in the death of at least 11 persons. Experts had blamed the company for cutting the hills vertically which resulted in the landslide.