Probes launched into collapse of under-construction flyover in Gurgaon, India

Police and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have each launched a probe into what caused the collapse of a 40-metre section of elevated highway being built in the city of Gurugram (formerly known as Gurgaon) on Saturday night.

Thanks to a construction crew shift change, only two minor injuries were reported as a result of the collapse between pillars 10 and 11, which happened just before 10pm on 22 August.

Teams from NHAI, Gurugram Police, and the National Disaster Response Force rushed to the scene.

The section is part of a 4.75-km elevated roadway intended to connect Subhash Chowk on Sohna Road to Badshahpur.

The project has been underway since 2018, and has been costed at some $9.5m, reports The Indian Express. 

Officials told the newspaper that the project is around 30% complete.

An unnamed NHAI official told the Express that a "high-level committee" will investigate the collapse.

NHAI sources said the quality of the concrete used would need third-party testing.

For their part, Gurugram police are investigating a complaint over the collapsed flyover submitted in a right-to-information filing from a citizen.

Authorities are taking a period of 15 days to consider how to remove the wreckage without causing further damage.

To prevent further collapse, sandbags will be piled under a portion that is still suspended.

Image: A team from India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on the scene after the flyover collapse, 22 August 2020 (NDRF via Twitter)