Bhopal— A tragic accident at an under-construction railway bridge in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district claimed the life of a truck driver and left his conductor seriously injured on Thursday morning. The mishap occurred when a girder being lifted by two cranes collapsed at the Sagaur Railway Bridge site, police said.
The deceased has been identified as 35-year-old Abhay Patidar, who was driving a mini-truck at the time of the incident. His conductor, Kalyan Singh, sustained severe injuries and is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
According to Dhar Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi, “Two cranes were lifting a girder from both ends when one of them, stationed on the Sagaur side, suddenly toppled. A Tata Magic and a pickup truck passing through were struck in the collapse. One driver was rescued immediately, while two others were pulled out after a two-hour-long operation.”
The railway overbridge, located in Pithampur’s Sector 3 and spanning nearly 500 metres, has been under construction for the past three years.
Local advocate Rajesh Chaudhary alleged that the tragedy resulted from gross negligence by railway officials and the contractor. “There was no service road at the site, and the ground was unstable. One of the cranes sank and overturned. We had warned the authorities several times, but no preventive measures were taken,” he said.
Two additional cranes have been brought in to remove the overturned equipment as rescue and clearance operations continue.
Authorities are expected to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident to determine whether safety protocols were violated during the construction process.
