Close shave for school students as wooden bridge over Bhargavi river collapses in Puri

Several school students had a narrow escape when a portion of a wooden bridge on which they were crossing Bhargavi river near Balikera village under Brahmagiri block in Puri district collapsed on Sunday.

Luckily, the children didn’t fall into the river and their lives were saved.

As per reports, thousands of residents from 25 villages in three Gram Panchayats are dependent upon this 20-year-old wooden bridge to cross the river on their way to the mainland.

However, on the fateful day when some school students were crossing the river by walking on the bridge, a portion of it collapsed. Fortunately, the students had a miraculous escape as none of them fell into the river.

“When we were coming to the school, a portion of the old wooden bridge collapsed. We cried for help and some people from the nearby area rushed to rescue us somehow,” said a school student.

Though the villagers have been requesting the administration to construct a permanent bridge over the river for many years, it has so far fallen on deaf ears.

Notably, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the construction of a permanent bridge at that place in 2013. However, no work has been undertaken even after 10 years.