The incident occurred between Reckong and Tapri on National Highway 5 (Old Hindustan-Tibet Road) near Urni Dhank (Credit-Social media)SHIMLA: A Bailey bridge in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district collapsed on Tuesday, sending a truck crossing it plunging into the Sutlej river, officials said.The driver of the truck escaped with minor injuries.The incident took place near Urni Dhank between Reckong Peo and Tapri on National Highway 5, also known as the old Hindustan-Tibet Road, when the vehicle was crossing the bridge.According to officials, the structure gave way when the truck was about to reach the other side. Videos of the collapse later surfaced online.Himachal Pradesh revenue and horticulture minister Jagat Singh Negi said the bridge collapsed because of an overloaded vehicle and not due to any technical or material defect."Neither the material nor the engineering of the bridge failed. There was no technical fault. The bridge was installed in 2016 as a temporary alternative arrangement after continuous landslides created a major geological hazard in the Urni-Dhak area," Negi said.The minister said the bridge had been functioning for nearly a decade and was built after a major landslide made the original road unsafe."At that time, even the Army could not permanently stabilize the landslide zone because of the complex geological conditions. We created an alternative route and installed two Bailey bridges to ensure uninterrupted movement of traffic. The arrangement served the area efficiently for nearly a decade," he said.Negi said preliminary findings suggested that the truck was carrying more load than the bridge’s prescribed capacity of around 10 tonnes."The bridge had a fixed load-bearing capacity. A fully loaded heavy vehicle crossed it despite restrictions. Photographs clearly show the overloaded vehicle that fell along with the bridge. When any structure is subjected to loads beyond its design capacity, such incidents can occur," he said.He added that the bridge was unmanned and depended on vehicle operators following the restrictions."This was an unmanned bridge where compliance depended on vehicle operators adhering to prescribed limits. Action will be taken against those found responsible for violating load restrictions," Negi said.Officials said traffic movement has not been affected as an alternate route remains operational. Police and administration teams have been deployed at the site.Negi said strengthening work worth around Rs 50-60 crore was underway in the Urni-Dhak landslide zone, including tunnelling and slope stabilisation measures.On monsoon preparedness, the minister said all departments and district administrations had been put on alert to deal with possible disasters."Even today, technology cannot precisely predict where a disaster will strike. We can estimate rainfall patterns, but specific incidents such as landslides, flash floods or cloudbursts cannot be forecast accurately in advance," he said.He said the government had conducted review meetings and instructed departments to keep machinery, equipment and manpower ready for emergencies.The minister also said SDRF and NDRF teams had been positioned at vulnerable locations, while local volunteers were being trained under the ‘Aapda Mitra’ programme to respond during disasters.