Bridge Collapses in Karnataka; Driver Rescued As Truck Falls Into River

Bengaluru: Balu Murugan, a 37-year-old driver from Tamil Nadu was rescued although his truck was swept away when a bridge across the Kali River at Karwar in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district collapsed at around 2 am on Wednesday.

A section of the bridge, which connected Karnataka with Goa collapsed and fell along with the truck. He added the remaining two sections collapsed within the next 10 minutes.

Balu managed to break the windshield of the truck to come out. He was taking the truck to Karnataka’s Hubballi from Goa. He managed to draw the attention of a patrolling police officer and was rescued.

Murugan is admitted to a hospital and will be sent home once he is fit to travel, said police officials.

The traffic on another bridge over the Kali River to Goa was halted on Wednesday morning following the incident. Police have been deployed to monitor traffic on all bridges in the area to prevent congestion.