Bridge under construction collapses in eastern India

NEW DELHI, June 4 (Xinhua) -- An under-construction bridge over river Ganga in India's eastern state of Bihar collapsed on Sunday, but there were no reports of any known human casualties.

The incident was caught on mobile phone cameras of local residents, and the videos soon went viral on various social media platforms with people shouting about possible human casualties.

The ill-fated Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bihar's Bhagalpur district was about to be completed this year. This is the second time when the bridge collapsed.

The bridge's construction began eight years ago, but slabs of its three pillars collapsed in April last year, which delayed the speed of construction. Since then deadlines of its inauguration have been postponed at least thrice.

The bridge was seen as a vital route connecting northern and southern parts of Bihar, which would have reduced the 90-km distance between Khagaria and Bhagalpur districts to mere 30 km.