Jammu: Three people have been killed and one injured after a partially collapsed old bridge gave way during repair work on the outskirts of Jammu, officials said on Saturday.

Rescue workers recovered the bodies following a 12-hour overnight operation at the Thuther area of Bantalab, where labourers had been working on retaining wall and foundation repairs to a bridge damaged in flash floods last year.

One labourer was pulled out alive on Friday shortly after the collapse. Officials said four workers were initially trapped when a section of the structure suddenly gave way.

Emergency teams, including personnel from the police, army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and fire and emergency services, carried out the search and rescue operation under floodlights through the night.

A senior officer confirmed that three bodies were recovered during the operation, which concluded on Saturday morning. Two people were rescued alive but injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Among the injured was Divisional Fire Officer Mohammad Jaffar, who was struck by a falling boulder while assisting in the rescue effort.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary visited the site shortly after midnight and ordered immediate action, including the suspension of two engineers involved in the project. He also directed officials to attach the executive engineer concerned and ordered a formal inquiry into the incident.

Following his instructions, Assistant Executive Engineer Sahil Verma and Junior Engineer Sajad Mir were suspended pending investigation.

The government has constituted a three-member committee, headed by Purshotam Kumar, Secretary Technical in the Public Works (R&B) Department, to probe the circumstances that led to the collapse. The panel has been asked to submit its findings within five days.

Authorities said the investigation will examine lapses in supervision and safety protocols during the ongoing repair work.