Panaji/Karwar, 7 Aug

An old bridge across Kali river in Uttara Kannada district collapsed in the small hours of Wednesday, resulting in heavy traffic along National Highway 66, connecting Goa to Karnataka.

A large portion of the bridge near here caved in around 1.30 am when a truck was crossing it, leaving the driver of the vehicle injured as he fell into the river, Karwar police said.

According to officials, the bridge was used for Goa-bound traffic after the construction of a new one a decade ago. The injured truck driver has been identified as Bala Murugan (37) from Tamil Nadu.

The truck, en route to Karwar, fell into the water, police said, adding that the night patrol team alerted higher police officials."Our night patrolling team noticed the collapsed bridge and alerted the control room. There was a truck in the river and the injured driver was on top of the vehicle. The local fishermen along with our team managed to rescue the driver," Superintendent of Police (Karwar) M Narayana said. "He is admitted to Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital. The truck driver is stated to be stable and is recovering," he said.

Traffic on the new bridge was stopped for some time following the incident. Later, vehicles, except heavy ones, were allowed to pass through, the Karwar police said. "Due to the bridge collapse, only light vehicles will be allowed on the new Kali bridge while suspending the movement of heavy vehicles temporarily," a statement from Karwar SP said.

Traffic movement on the new bridge was restricted as the Karnataka authorities were checking its stability after the collapse of the old bridge, Goa's Canacona police station in-charge Harish Raut Desai said. An FIR has also been registered over the bridge collapse.

Following the incident, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada Lakshmi Priya K and instructed her to ensure the safety of all bridges and roads in the district and to take precautions to prevent any loss of life.

According to her, the truck driver who was injured in the bridge collapse, has been admitted to the hospital and information has been given to the concerned authorities for immediate action in respect of the bridge.

An official letter has been sent to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to check the strength of the new bridge immediately. The letter stated that the old Kali river bridge connecting Karwar and Sadashivgad collapsed on 7 August at 1.30 am.

Stating that "there is an urgent need to verify and ensure the stability of the new Kali river bridge to prevent any further incidents", District Magistrate of Uttara Kannada at Karwar Lakshmipriya "ordered and directed" the Regional Officer of NHAI Honnavara to immediately coordinate and lead efforts to verify and report the stability of the new bridge. Her order was given under section 33 and 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.