The Howrah bridge pillar that was hit by a bus on Friday afternoon has not suffered any structural damage, said a senior engineer of an agency that inspected it on Saturday.
“An engineer from Rites visited the accident site. He said prima facie, no structural damage was found,” said a senior official of Kolkata Port Trust, which maintains the iconic structure.
Around 12.40pm on Friday, a Howrah-bound bus on route 12A/B from Metiabruz hit the pillar after smashing the footpath guardrails. At least seven passengers including a child were injured.
Police said the private bus suddenly swerved rammed the iron railings that separate the pedestrian area from the thoroughfare and came to a halt after hitting pillar number 5 of the Howrah bridge.
“The engineer said that the iron railings, which were first hit by the bus, took the initial shock of the impact,” the port trust official said. “Further investigation will be carried out in due course of time.”
The Howrah Bridge, formally known as Rabindra Setu, was constructed by Kolkata Port Trust between 1937 and 1942 and opened to traffic in February 1943.
Immediately after the accident, the police had cordoned off the spot around the accident site on the Howrah-bound lane of the bridge and ambulances were called in to take the injured to hospital.
Six out of the seven injured remained admitted to the hospital in Howrah with injuries. The seventh, 62-year-old Barun Patra from Panchanantala Road in Howrah, was released after treatment.
With two stretches of iron railings ripped off, the police said a traffic constable was posted around the accident site on the Howrah bridge since Saturday morning to ensure pedestrians did not spill over from the bridge’s footpath to the main carriageway.
“The bus driver fled after the collision. We have sought details of the driver from the owner of the vehicle. A case of rash and negligent driving has been drawn up and we are awaiting the mechanical test of the bus,” a senior police officer said. “We have ensured that traffic movement down the Howrah-bound lane of the bridge is unaffected.”
On Friday, the police said that some of the injured had told them that the driver kept saying the brakes weren’t working and that he didn’t find it safe to continue driving the vehicle down the bridge’s slope.
“We have recorded the statements of the injured and details about the bus have been sought from the transport department,” the officer said.
