A portion of a partially built bridge for New Delhi’s metro rail network collapsed Sunday, killing five people and injuring 15, authorities said.
The crash occurred when a metal beam supporting pillars gave way, Delhi Metro Rail Corp. spokesman Anuj Dayal told CNN. Concrete slabs came crashing down, burying workers beneath, officials said. The dead included one site engineer, said Mohammad Akhlaque, police sub-inspector. New Delhi launched its metro system six years ago. Construction on new lines has been proceeding at a frenzied pace as the city gets ready to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Hailed as a relief in India’s traffic-congested capital, the metro has a tarnished safety record. Part of a another bridge being built to extend the rail system collapsed last October, pinning a bus underneath and killing its driver.
