Two huge concrete beams of a flyover under construction collapsed, killing at least two persons and injuring others on the National Highway-16 at Anakapalle of Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday evening. An oil tanker and a passenger car were crushed under the impact of the crash, police sources said. The driver and a passenger of the car were killed in the accident while the driver and cleaner of the oil tanker were injured, the sources said. Two other passengers in the car also sustained injuries and they have been shifted to a local hospital for treatment.
The police later identified the deceased as Satish Kumar and Susanth Mohanty, who were sitting in the front of the car when the mishap took place. Their wives, Sunita and Lakshmi, were sitting in the back. One of the women, Lakshmi, is pregnant, reported IANS. The two women were rescued from the car and have been hospitalised. The bodies of the two men were retrieved from the wreckage.
An interchange road is presently under construction at the Sankar Mutt junction at Anakapalle as part of the expansion of NH-16. The flyover is also a part of the project and the beam-laying work is currently progressing. On Tuesday evening, two beams collapsed suddenly, crushing the oil tanker and the car passing underneath. Those in the car were said to be returning to Sriharipuram after visiting the Sri Nookalamma temple in Anakapalle.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also deployed to the location to assist the police. The police barricaded the accident zone and diverted vehicular traffic on the national highway, reported The New Indian Express. Speaking to the media, Visakhapatnam SP B Krishna Rao said that they are yet to ascertain the cause of the mishap. The police however, suspect faulty installation of the beam, which led to its collapse. However, a detailed investigation is yet to be carried out.