--- title: "Bheri river suspension bridge collapse" subject: "Engineering Professional Practice" chapter: 7 key: "semester_8/engineering_professional_practice:bheri-suspension-bridge-collapse" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/bheri-suspension-bridge-collapse site: BCT Engineering --- # Bheri river suspension bridge collapse Engineering Professional Practice · Chapter 7: Case Studies based on Engineering Practices - Asked in: year not given - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/bheri-suspension-bridge-collapse - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/chapter-7 ## Question A trial bridge (suspension bridge) over the Bheri river at Shubhaghat near Mehalkuna bazaar of Surkhet district collapsed on 25th December, 2007. The collapse of the bridge claimed some 18 people's life and it is speculated that about 70 persons are missing in the Bheri River. The mishap happened while a large crowd of people (some eye witnesses claims 500 to 600 persons) were crossing the bridge to participate in a local fair on the other side of the bank. The bridge is located at about 10 Km NorthEast from the Chhinchu bazaar. The span of the bridge was 187 meters and was completed construction in the fiscal year 2063/64 (July 2006/June 2007). This was constructed by DDC-Surkhet, supervised by DTO- Surkhet and the consultant was FACE Consultant, Kathmandu. The contractor was the DC Nirwan sewa, Nepalgunj. The fabricator of all the elements of the bridge was Hulas Steel Industries, Simara. Nepal government has announced to conduct detail investigation of the incident. Initially, it was assumed that the bridge failed due to overload. Prior to the incident, the DTO technician had allegedly instructed the contractor to tighten up the nuts of the bulldog grips of the main cables. The Chairperson of the Fair Management Committee has been quoted to say that the contractor has not tightened the nuts as was required. Preliminary investigations by the SBD engineers seem to indicate that the bridge failed due to faulty bulldog grips. How would you judge the incident on the ground of professional ethics? ## Short answer The collapse involved public use before certification, likely faulty bulldog grips, and weak supervision. Negligent workmanship, failure to verify instructions, and opening an untested trial bridge make the contractor, supervisor, consultant, and client ethically and legally responsible. ## Answer #### Facts A 187 m suspension bridge at Shubhaghat, Surkhet, constructed in 2063/64, collapsed on 25 December 2007 under a crowd of several hundred people going to a fair. About 18 died and many were missing. Parties: DDC Surkhet (client/implementer), DTO Surkhet (supervision), FACE Consultant, contractor DC Nirwan Sewa, fabricator Hulas Steel Industries, and the Fair Management Committee. Possible causes mentioned: overload, loose or faulty bulldog grips on main cables. The investigation is still to confirm the cause, so the judgement below is on the evidence given. #### Ethical judgement The main ethical principle is that engineers must give priority to public safety, work within their competence, supervise properly and be honest in reporting. Several failures appear. | Party | Possible ethical lapse | |---|---| | Contractor | If the grip nuts were not tightened as instructed, it is negligent workmanship, a violation of contract and of the duty to protect life. | | DTO technician | Gave only an instruction but did not verify it was done, or issue a written order, or stop public use. Supervision must be by a competent engineer, not just a technician's instruction. | | Consultant (FACE) | Responsible for design, supervision and certifying the bridge as ready. If the connections and cable clamps were not checked or the load test was skipped, this is negligence. | | Fabricator | The quality of bulldog grips and elements must be assured; faulty parts would be a serious breach. | | DDC (client) | Allowed the bridge to be used (a trial bridge) before final inspection, handover and load test; no crowd control or load limit notice. | | Fair Committee / local administration | Did not control the number of people crossing at one time, when a crowd of hundreds was expected. | #### Key points - The bridge was, in effect, opened to the public without being certified safe. Allowing use before testing and handover is a breach of the duty of care. - Even if overload triggered the collapse, a properly designed bridge needs a safety margin and posted load limit, so the weakness in connections and supervision remains the root issue. - Responsibility is shared; each party who knew the grips were loose and did not stop use is accountable. Hiding or shifting blame would add a further ethical failure. - The relevant ethical duties come from the Nepal Engineering Council code of conduct (public safety, competence, honesty, faithful agency), together with the contract and tort law of negligence. Criminal negligence may apply for deaths. #### Lessons and recommendations 1. An independent technical probe to identify the cause, and action against the responsible persons and firms (compensation to victims, blacklisting, Council action). 2. Before opening, require formal inspection, load test, and a handover certificate signed by qualified engineers. 3. Written, traceable instructions and follow-up checks of critical items (grip number, spacing, torque and re-tightening after loading). 4. Display capacity limits and control crowds on public bridges, especially during fairs. 5. Quality assurance for fabricated parts, with material and component tests. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What ethical lapse is attributed to the DTO technician? A. He tightened the nuts incorrectly himself B. He designed the bridge C. He refused to inspect any bridge D. He only gave an instruction without verifying it was done, issuing a written order or stopping public use Answer: D. Supervision must be by a competent engineer with written orders and follow-up checks, not just a technician's verbal instruction. (Key point: DTO technician's lapse) 2. Even if overload triggered the collapse, why does the root issue remain the weak connections and supervision? A. Because crowds never matter B. A properly designed bridge needs a safety margin and posted load limit, so weak connections and supervision remain the root issue C. Because overload is impossible on suspension bridges D. Because the fair committee designed the bridge Answer: B. A sound bridge should carry expected loads with a safety margin and load limit, so weaknesses in connections and supervision are the real cause. (Key point: Root issue) 3. What lapse is attributed to the DDC (client)? A. Allowed the bridge to be used before final inspection, handover and load test, with no crowd control or load limit notice B. Fabricated the bulldog grips C. Tightened the nuts too much D. Cancelled the contract Answer: A. Using a trial bridge before inspection, handover and load test, without limits or crowd control, breaches the duty of care. (Key point: Client's lapse) 4. How does the answer treat responsibility for the collapse? A. Only the contractor is responsible B. Only the fair committee is responsible C. Nobody is responsible because the cause is unconfirmed D. It is shared; anyone who knew the grips were loose and did not stop use is accountable, and hiding or shifting blame is a further ethical failure Answer: D. Responsibility is shared among parties; concealment or blame-shifting adds to the ethical failure. (Key point: Shared responsibility) ## Related in Engineering Professional Practice - [Building near river bank; stop construction?](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Abuilding-on-river-bank-flood) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 7 ## Related in other subjects - [Is treatment necessary? 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