Bhara Kahu bypass project: Two labourers killed as under-construction flyover collapses

ISLAMABAD: Two labourers lost their lives while three others were injured when shuttering of an under-construction Bhara Kahu bypass flyover collapsed early Saturday morning, causing panic among passers-by of the locality.

Rescue teams rushed to the incident site and pulled three labourers out of rubble while efforts to save the remaining two were going on. The injured persons were taken to a nearby hospital after the incident.

According to rescue officials, heavy construction material was being pitched on it when the portion caved in.

According to a tweet by the police, two injured labourers were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), where one of them succumbed to injuries while three other labourers were shifted to Polyclinic Hospital where one of them breathed his last.

The police said Islamabad Inspector General (IG), Dr Akbar Nasir and Chief Commissioner Noor ul Amin Mengal rushed to the scene after the incident.

In a separate tweet, it said a committee, which will be headed by Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, has been constituted to “review all aspects related to the incident”.

Noorul Amin Mengal, Chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), said that according to the preliminary investigation, “two to three huge trolleys (trucks) had passed by the bridge between 2-3am and had hit it”.

He added that “both safety and traffic protocols” had been violated and a committee had been formed to find out “who was responsible so they could take legal action against them”. The CDA official said further details will be revealed once the committee finds them out.

Talking about the Bhara Kahu bypass project, he termed it a “very complicated project” as it was a “challenge to close the one-link” that leads to the northern areas.

Saying that the project had entered a “critical stage”, Mengal said heavy traffic needed to be shut down. Mentioning construction work still left, he said the administration would have to enforce stricter rules and “the citizens would also have to bear difficulties” for while.

In a tweet, he said, “an enquiry committee headed by DC Islamabad constituted to ascertain facts.”

The 5.6km long Bhara Kahu bypass (including a 1km flyover) starts from Murree Road at Malpur and culminates on Murree Road near the Jugi bus stop from where the flyover begins till the end of the local bazaar towards Murree.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023