In a tragic incident, an inspector of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) lost his life while another sustained serious injuries on Thursday when a girder of an under-construction rail over bridge fell on them in Chiluatal area of Gorakhpur district, police said.

An over bridge is being constructed by Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation for smooth movement of traffic at Nakha railway crossing between Bargadwa and the office of a fertiliser unit in Gorakhpur. After the completion of the pillar work, the work of constructing the over bridge over the railway line is going on. For this, the gutter brought by a truck was being unloaded by the crane on Thursday morning.

At 10:30 am, Inspector Bijendra Singh Kothari and Inspector Malay Kundu, posted at the SSB sector headquarters, were going towards the fertiliser unit office from Bargadwa Square on a motorcycle. When they reached near the crane, its chain broke and the 10-quintal aluminium girder fell on Kothari who was riding the motorcycle and he died on the spot. Kundu, who was on the pillion, sustained serious injuries and was admitted to BRD Medical College hospital.

The driver fled leaving the crane behind after the accident.

Superintendent of Police (North) Jitendra Kumar Srivastava said that the search for the crane driver was going on and action was being taken after registering a case as per the complaint.

Woman killed in blast

Meanwhile, a woman lost her life after a massive blast inside her house in Sitapur on Thursday afternoon.

The powerful explosion, the cause of which remains unknown, triggered widespread panic among locals.

While initial reports suggest that the blast might have occurred either by a gas cylinder or gunpowder, the exact source remains unconfirmed.

Police reached the spot and were investigating the matter.