25-meter slab of Vikramshila Setu in Bihar collapses
What's the story
A 25-meter slab of the Vikramshila Setu in Bhagalpur district, Bihar, collapsed into the Ganges River early on Monday. The incident happened near pillar number 133 and caused panic in the area. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported. The ground subsidence and cracks were first noticed by police personnel around 11:33pm on Sunday night when they spotted ground subsidence and cracks near pillar number 133.
Early response
Traffic has been diverted to Munger and Sultanganj
Senior officials were informed and vehicular movement on the bridge was immediately stopped. Around 1:10am, the slab, approximately 25 meters in length collapsed into the river Traffic has now been diverted toward Munger and Sultanganj due to this incident. "A timely alert prevented a major incident. Otherwise, buses bound for Muzaffarpur and Araria would have been on the bridge. Currently, all vehicular movement across the bridge has come to a standstill," a senior administrative officer said.
Twitter Post
Watch video here
VIDEO | Bihar: A portion of the Vikramshila Setu over the Ganga River in Bhagalpur near pillar number 133 suddenly collapsed and fell into the river around 12.50 AM, Monday. Fortunately, a major accident was averted due to the prompt action of police personnel and the… pic.twitter.com/uIJkeMv7EW
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
Bridge history
Inaugurated in July 2001
The Vikramshila Setu is a key bridge connecting Bihar's Poorvanchal and Seemanchal regions. It was inaugurated in July 2001 by then Chief Minister Rabri Devi after being laid by Lalu Prasad Yadav in November 1990. The bridge was built at an estimated cost of ₹838 crore by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation.
Structural concerns
Experts warned bridge was on 'life support'
Experts have long warned that the bridge was on "life support." The protective walls of pillars 17, 18, and 19 had collapsed in March 2026, exposing the pillars' foundations to soil erosion. The gap between the bridge's expansion joints had also widened to six inches, causing severe vibrations. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of this collapse.