Divers carry out rescue operations in the Ganga, under Mahatma Gandhi Setu on Monday. Picture by Sachin

Patna, Feb. 28: Two persons died when a truck lost control and plunged into the river Ganga from the Mahatma Gandhi Setu on Monday.

“The accident occurred around 1.30am near the 32nd pillar of the bridge, which falls under Vaishali district,” police said.

The truck broke the bridge railing and fell down, the police added.

The deceased were identified as cousin brothers, both of whom were called Jitendra. While one was the driver of the truck, the other was an attendant.

Sources at the Gandhi Bridge police outpost said the cops have also recovered a charred Bajaj Pulsar from the spot. “The matter is being investigated. The bike was found in a burnt state. At present, we do not have a clear idea about the owner of the bike and how it got burnt. The matter is being looked into,” an officer said.

Rescue operations on the bridge started only this morning. Police sources said the truck was speeding and that the driver was drunk.

Before this incident, the 5.575km-long bridge, which has been in a very bad state, has witnessed a number of accidents.

On August 17, three people died after a car they were driving collided with a truck, in the early hours of the day. On October 6, a biker died on the spot when he had a head-on collision with a truck. Just 10 days ago, a truck was set on fire after it hit the divider of the bridge. With the bridge in a bad shape, the phase-wise construction has continued, resulting in severe traffic problems.

“There is always some construction work or the other on the bridge. This creates a lot of road blockage. This results in the road getting narrow and vehicles from both sides ply on a single road stretch. In most cases, one flank of the bridge is closed down for some reason or the other,” a police officer said.