A dumper driver was rescued by fire service personnel from imminent danger after the bridge over Kharla river in Sambalpur district collapsed on Thursday night.
According to reports, the truck was crossing the 100-year-old British era bridge connecting Kuchinda town when the platform collapsed swallowing up the vehicle before it fell into the river.
Informed, Kuchinda police and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot for relief and rescue work. However, the driver of the vehicle couldn’t be rescued immediately as his legs were pressed in the wrecked vehicle.
Also Read
Fortunately, after nearly ten long hours of rescue operation, the driver was rescued from the clutches of death.
“The driver was in a serious condition. He couldn’t be rescued immediately despite our best efforts as his legs were stuck in the damaged vehicle. We used gas cutters to remove the damaged parts of the vehicle and rescued him safely after around 10 hours,” said fire service personnel Paulesh Kujjur.
According to reports, road communication from Kuchinda and Sambalpur has been snapped due to the collapse of the bridge. Vehicular movement along National Highway 49 connecting Kharagpur and Bilaspur has also come to a standstill.
(Edited by Suryakant Jena)