Work to rescue stranded TN train passengers on; Army pitches in
Madurai (PTI): Work to rescue about 800 passengers stranded at Srivaikuntam in southern Tamil Nadu is 'going on' and the exercise will be completed as soon as possible, an official said on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, the Army assisted evacuation of people from flood-hit areas and provided them medical care.
Though rainfall activity has almost come to a halt in most parts of southern Tamil Nadu, the inundation is still heavy, which continues to affect normalcy.
A railway official here said the NDRF, Air Force, railway and local authorities are coordinating the rescue work. The passengers, stranded since early hours of Monday, spent the night in train coaches at Srivaikuntam railway station. Initially, 300 were housed in a nearby school and the others stayed at Srivaikuntam railway station.
On Monday night, troops assisted rescue of over 100 people, which includes 54 women, a pregnant lady and 19 children near Thoothukudi. Medical care and life support was provided to them, the Defence PRO Chennai said in a post on X.
From Delhi, Chief Minister M K Stalin held a virutal meet on Monday night with Ministers and district collectors of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari and Tenkasi and asked them to continue rescue efforts in full swing as people were still stranded in several areas of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts.
Additional pumps to drain water has been dispatched by authorities to southern districts from Chennai and about 200 boats have been deployed as part of rescue efforts.
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'5th In 9 Days': Another bridge collapses in Bihar
Patna, Jun 28: Another instance of bridge collapse has come to the fore in Bihar, making it the fifth such incident to have been reported from the state in just over a week.
The latest incident has been reported from the Bheja police station area of Madhubani district, situated in the state's northern extreme, along the borders with Nepal.
Officials were tight-lipped about the incident, though sources in the Rural Works Department, which was entrusted with the construction of the 75-metre-long bridge, confirmed that one of the pillars got washed away a few days ago.
They said the bridge was being constructed at a cost of about Rs 3 crore over the Bhutahi river which has been in spate on account of torrential rains in catchment areas of Nepal.
The sources claimed that the district administration has been asked to investigate the matter and submit its report while the contractor concerned has been instructed to get the structure repaired at the earliest.
A video of the collapsed bridge, under construction for more than two years, has gone viral.
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav shared the video on X, taking an indirect swipe at the Nitish Kumar government.
"Another bridge has collapsed in Bihar. Did you get to know? If not, guess why," said the RJD leader, who is also a former deputy CM.
Last week, one incident each of bridge collapse was reported from the Araria, Siwan and East Champaran districts while a similar mishap took place in Kishanganj on Thursday.
𝟗 दिन के अंदर बिहार में यह 𝟓वाँ पुल गिरा है।
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) June 28, 2024
मधुबनी-सुपौल के बीच भूतही नदी पर वर्षों से निर्माणाधीन पुल गिरा। क्या आपको पता लगा? नहीं तो, क्यों? बूझो तो जाने? #Bihar #Bridge pic.twitter.com/IirnmOzRSo
