SUKKUR: A sizeable portion of a dilapidated bridge over Naseer Canal in Kandhkot-Kashmore district collapsed onto the labourers working under it on Friday.

Police and administration officials confirmed that three of the labourers were killed and a couple of others injured in the incident.

They identified two of the deceased as Imam Bakhsh, son of Suhno Khan Nandwani; Abubakar, son of Imdad Nandwani. However, local journalists put the number of dead at four.

The incident took place when the bricks-built structure of the bridge was being demolished under a scheme to construct a new one at the same site — near Nasar Bijarani village, situated within the limits of the Karampur police station.

The dilapidated structure was being dismantled to pave way for its reconstruction

The bridge was meant to facilitate movement of people, living on either side of it, across the canal.

An unspecified number of labourers were engaged to have the bridge demolished. Some of them were busy working under the bridge when the structure above them collapsed all of a sudden. Four to five labourers were buried under the rubble. Residents of the nearby village rushed to their rescue after hearing the rumbling sound.

A police team also arrived and joined in the rescue efforts that had been started by a large number of locals immediately after the incident. Upon receiving the information, the civil administration dispatched an excavator to the site to help retrieve the victims by removing the debris. In the hours-long efforts, three bodies were taken out from under the debris, and as many injured persons were transported to a nearby government health facility for treatment.

Efforts to ensure that no other person was buried under the rubble were continuing till late in the evening.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2026