The pillars of the al-Atayshi bridge in Karbala’s Husseiniya area collapsed on Saturday, killing two people and injuring seven others while trapping two cars under the rubble.
“The Prime Minister promptly directed the formation of an investigative committee, composed of representatives from the Higher Commission for Coordination between Provinces and the Karbala province, to determine the full details of the incident and identify those responsible,” Sudani’s office said in a statement.
It added that the prime minister was “closely following” the developments.
Karbala health spokesperson Salim Kadhim told Rudaw that the bridge collapsed “suddenly during concrete pouring and fell onto two cars that were passing under the bridge.”
Civil defense teams rushed to comb through the rubble and rescue the passengers trapped underneath.
“Our teams are at the site and are investigating how the incident occurred,” civil defense spokesperson Nawas Sabah Shakir told Rudaw.
The 13-hour search for people trapped underneath the rubble was completed on Sunday morning, and seven people were rescued, the civil defense announced.
“The civil defense personnel … were able to retrieve two bodies in extremely difficult conditions,” the directorate said in a statement.
On Sunday, a restaurant collapsed in Najaf province, south of Karbala, injuring one worker, according to state media.
