KANPUR, May 30 -- Four labourers and two security guards were killed after a section of an under-construction bridge over the Betwa river collapsed during a storm in Hamirpur district early Friday, officials said. The accident occurred near Morakandar Parsari village under Lalpura police station limits, where a 700.9-metre bridge has been under construction at a cost of Rs.92.52 crore for the past two years. According to officials, a pier, pillar number five, gave way along with its shuttering during strong winds and rain, bringing down nearly 110 metres of slab between pillars four, five and six. Seven workers were on the bridge carrying out wiring work when the structure collapsed around 3 am. Three survived after taking shelter inside a segment of the bridge as the weather worsened, while four others fell with the debris. The collapsing slab also buried two security guards posted below. Police, district officials and an SDRF team reached the site overnight and carried out rescue operations till early morning. Three workers trapped on the bridge were brought down safely, while the bodies of the six victims were recovered from the debris and sent for the post-mortem examination. The deceased labourers were identified as Lokendra Nishad, 22, and Kuldeep Nishad, 19, both from Chilla in Banda district; Sawant Yadav, 28, and Sabhajeet, 30, from Bhuragarh in Banda; and security guards as Pushpendra Singh Chauhan, 34, from Swasa Khurd; and Rajesh Pal, 42, from Achhpura-Bahina in Hamirpur district. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured. While describing the loss of lives as "extremely heartbreaking and heart-rending," the chief minister said on X that instructions had been issued to the district administration to carry out relief and rescue operations swiftly. According to government officials, Adityanath announced financial assistance of Rs.5 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs.50,000 for the injured. Awadhesh Nishad, one of the surviving workers, said the wind had intensified rapidly before the collapse. "Rain had started and we came down to sit inside the segment for safety. Four of our co-workers were still a short distance away on the slab when the entire structure came down," he said. Police, district officials and an SDRF team reached the site overnight and carried out rescue operations through the early morning. Three workers trapped on the bridge were brought down safely, while the bodies of the six victims were recovered from the debris and sent for post-mortem examination. District magistrate Abhishek Goyal said the India Meteorological Department had issued a storm warning on Thursday evening and local authorities had been alerted. He said a committee comprising engineers and technical experts had been formed to investigate the cause of the collapse. ADG (Prayagraj Zone) Jyoti Narayan said around 80% of the bridge work had been completed and the structure was in its final phase. "It would be premature to say the storm alone caused the accident. The rest of the bridge is still standing. Experts will determine the exact reason," he said, adding that action would follow if negligence was found. Station house officer (SHO), Lalpura, Rajesh Kumar Saroj said the bodies had been sent for the postmortem examination and debris removal work was underway to ensure no other worker remained trapped under the rubble. Rajya Sabha MP Babu Ram Nishad termed the incident a "natural disaster-related accident" caused by high-velocity winds, while Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged that corruption in construction work might have led to the tragedy....