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ANUPAM DASGUPTA
Rambi (Kalimpong), June 26: It is still not clear how many people have died or are missing since the bailey bridge, erected by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) at its Teesta Low Dam Project (Stage-3) site near here, collapsed more than 24 hours ago.

According to police, at least four contract labourers were killed and three others washed away after the bridge fell into the rain-fed Teesta, when a concrete-mixture laden truck was trying to cross it.

The NHPC, however, claimed that only the driver of the truck is missing. Senior officials of the organisation neither denied nor confirmed the casualty till late this evening. The hydel power major is yet to offer an official explanation for the mishap.

A few eyewitnesses told The Telegraph that two of those killed were hired labourers from Kandi sub-division in Murshidabad. They were identified as Kinta Mondal (35) and Nagar Pal (18).

“We are shocked that the NHPC allowed a lorry to ply on a bridge where dismantling work was already on,” said Gopal Viswakarma, pradhan of Teesta gram panchayat and one of the first to rush to the spot.

Rescue work failed to yield much result till late this evening because of the turbulence of the Teesta.

It was learnt that the family members of NHPC chief-engineer-in-charge R.K. Verma had a providential escape since they has crossed the same bridge, to reach the other of the river, minutes before the incident took place.

Verma’s relatives along with some project officials were rescued and brought back to Rambi by expert rafters summoned from Chitrey, 11 km from here.

Darjeeling superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra said: “According to information available with us the death toll is seven. This includes those trapped inside the lorry which was crossing the bridge at the time of the accident.”

Those inside the vehicle have been identified as driver Bijoy Paswan, 25, and helper Rupam pandit, 18.

Recollecting yesterday’s chain of events, Viswakarma said: “It was all too sudden. The temporary bridge just gave away. It is unfortunate that four persons, including the driver of the vehicle, is trapped inside the vehicle.”

Somnath Pal, one of the workers who was at the site at the time of the accident, said: “The middle or the centre of the bridge just collapsed, before we could even realise what is happening. The lorry, which was on its way to the other side of the bridge, disappeared without a trace. So did three of the labourers who were working on the bridge.”

Echoing him Palash Pal, another labourer, said: “We never had an idea that a bridge could collapse like this. After it gave away, we spotted two persons who were washed away in a minute by the river.”

Though senior NHPC engineers who were at the spot today remained tight-lipped, Leela Kumar Gurung, secretary of the Himalayan Forest Villagers’ Organisation, said: “The NHPC deliberately employ people from outside. This often adds to confusion in the case of an accident like yesterday’s.”

He was referring to the two contract labourers from Murshidabad.