A bridge collapsed near Siliguri in Darjeeling district on Friday morning, injuring a truck driver, West Bengal Minister Rabindranath Ghosh said.
The truck, which was crossing the bridge, was hanging from the broken portion of the structure that connects Manganj area to Siliguri, a major city in north Bengal.
No other vehicle was plying at the time of the collapse. The truck driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital and discharged after administration of first aid.
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"The truck driver suffered minor injuries and his condition is stable now. The bridge, built by the local Zilla Parishad [district council] is meant only for small vehicles and ambulances. However heavy vehicles such as trucks carrying construction material often cross the bridge at night. This, along with lack of maintenance, caused the collapse," Mr. Ghosh, who is North Bengal Development Minister, told
The bridge, in Phansidewa subdivision, is about 75 metre long and was constructed 15 years ago. Locals blamed poor maintenance of the bridge as the reason for the collapse.
This is the second bridge collapse incident in West Bengal this week. A portion of the Majerhat Bridge on an arterial road in Kolkata collapsed on September 4.
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An bridge under construction on NH 31D near Siliguri reportedly collapsed on August 11.
(With inputs from PTI )