Meerut: A woman and her two-year-old son died after a makeshift wooden bridge collapsed under their motorcycle in Moradabad as the family was coming home from Raksha Bandhan celebrations.
Kiran , 34, her husband Anil Jatav, 36, a labourer, and their three children were thrown into the fast-flowing Gangan river on Friday evening when the bridge gave way near Malakpur village.
The family fell into water about 15ft deep, police said. Bystanders heard their screams and pulled Jatav and two children, aged six and three, from the river. Police and disaster response teams recovered Kiran’s body about two hours later, while the body of her two-year-old son, Keshav, was found on Saturday morning, SP (city) Kumar Ranvijay Singh said.
Bridge Built Without Approval Closed During Monsoon
District magistrate Rajendra Pensia confirmed that a bridge was constructed without the necessary government approval. As a precaution, the bridge has been closed for the duration of the monsoon season. Pensia also noted that a family had removed a chain that was blocking access to the bridge.