Train Narrowly Escapes Disaster As Bridge Retaining Wall Collapses Over River In Himachal
A train narrowly escaped tragedy after a railway bridge retaining wall collapsed over the Chakki River in Himachal’s Indora due to heavy rains, sparking safety concerns and road closures.
Panic gripped passengers onboard a train Monday morning when a section of the retaining wall of a railway bridge over the Chakki River suddenly gave way near Dhangu in Kangra district, following relentless rainfall. Fortunately, the train made it across just in time, avoiding what could have been a devastating accident.
Dhangu, perched on the Himachal Pradesh–Punjab border, sits along the vital Delhi-Jammu railway line that passes through Pathankot. The bridge is a crucial link on this route, and the incident has raised concerns over the safety of rail infrastructure amid extreme weather conditions.
Retaining Wall of Bridge Collapses After Train Passes
🚨Disaster narrowly averted in Dhangu, Kangra #HimachalPradesh
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) July 21, 2025
Passenger train crosses the Chakki River bridge just moments before its foundation collapsed due to heavy flooding
Locals allege illegal mining has long compromised the riverbed and nearby structures pic.twitter.com/FjDdpSXX65
Dramatic visuals from the scene, now circulating widely on social media, show the train’s close brush with disaster. The footage, which captures the aftermath of the wall collapse, has sparked alarm among viewers and reignited debate over the impact of illegal mining and infrastructure maintenance in the region.
Superintendent of Police (Nurpur), Ashok Ratan, confirmed that the retaining wall crumbled after heavy rains lashed the area. “As a precautionary step, the adjacent Dhangu road has been closed, and railway authorities have been alerted,” he said.
Indora Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Surinder Thakur provided further insight, saying, “We had issued an orange alert in the area. The rain brought an overwhelming amount of water, which led to the collapse of the stairs on one side of the bridge. The Civil Enclave Road also sustained heavy damage. We’ve closed this road to the public.”
#WATCH | Kangra, Himachal Pradesh | Retaining wall of railway bridge on the Chakki River collapses in Indora town at the Himachal Pradesh-Punjab border, near Punjab's Pathankot yesterday pic.twitter.com/YyJVlXIdXV
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2025
Efforts are now underway to ensure that about 150 schoolchildren from nearby villages can still access safe routes. “We’re coordinating with the military hospital to allow the children passage through their grounds,” Thakur added. He also pointed to mining activity as a possible contributing factor, noting that “so much water came, it just swept everything away.”
#WATCH | Kangra, Himachal Pradesh | Indora SDM Surinder Thakur says, "... We had an orange alert here. There has been an excessive rainfall... A lot of water has come, and due to this water, there were steps on one side of the bridge that broke and fell into the water. The Civil… pic.twitter.com/03NdvN2JCJ
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2025
Indora MLA Malender Rajan echoed these concerns, stating, “The flood-like situation in Chakki has severely damaged the foundation of the railway bridge. A significant portion of the Civil Enclave Road has been washed out as well. Officials from the SDM office, Public Works Department, Railways, and local representatives are on-site. The public is struggling, and we’re addressing this with the District Magistrate and military authorities to help schoolchildren reach safely.”
#WATCH | Kangra, Himachal Pradesh | Indora MLA Malender Rajan says, "Due to heavy rains, a flood situation is prevailing in Chakki. The foundation of the railway bridge over Chakki river has been damaged... A large part of the Civil Enclave road has also been washed away...… pic.twitter.com/YR0HUBDWjP
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2025
Rajan did not mince words about the long-standing issue of illegal mining in the region. “It’s one of the key reasons we’re seeing repeated damage during monsoon spells. We are persistently raising this matter with the government,” he said.
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