Kali River Bridge Collapses, Traffic on Goa-Karnataka Highway Hit

Benagluru: One person was injured when the 1986-built Kali Bridge, connecting Karnataka's Sadashivgad and Karwar on National Highway 66, collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday. The collapse caused significant traffic disruptions on the highway, which links Goa and Karnataka, according to officials.

The bridge, which is 40 years old and spans the Kali River between Goa and Karnataka, fell around 1 am on Wednesday morning. The bridge collapsed while a truck was crossing, causing the truck to fall into the river when a section of the bridge gave way. Local fishermen later rescued its driver Murugan, said a police official from Karwar in neighbouring Karnataka. 

Night patrol officers witnessed the collapse and quickly alerted the police. "The night patrol officers from the Chittakula Police Station spotted the collapsed bridge and alerted the control room. A truck was found in the river with an injured man on top of it. Local fishermen rescued the man, identified as Bala Murugan from Tamil Nadu, who is now being treated at the Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital," said Narayan SP Uttara Kannada.

The District Commissioner has ordered a quality verification of the bridge. 

Traffic on Goa-Karnataka highway hit

The bridge was used for Goa-bound traffic after the construction of a new one a decade back, the official said. Traffic on the new bridge was stopped for some time in the wee hours of Wednesday following the incident. Later, vehicles, except heavy ones, were allowed to pass through, the Karwar police said.

Traffic movement on the new bridge was restricted as the Karnataka authorities were checking its stability after the collapse of the old bridge, Goa's Canacona police station in-charge Harish Raut Desai said.

The Goa police were coordinating with their counterparts in Karwar to monitor the situation on the highway, he said. "Traffic on the highway has been halted, and a diversion route has been suggested," he added.

Gajanan Naik, Dean of the Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences, reported that the driver is injured but recovering well.