Though work is expected to resume in about five weeks, the Dec. 24 collapse of a 50-meter-long portion of an unfinished, 1,100-m-long cable-stayed bridge, some 50 m above the river Chambal near Kota in Rajasthan, has left the National Highway Authority of India baffled. The accident killed more than 45 people. Many others still are missing.

The $65-million project, 310 miles from New Delhi, consists of a 700-m-long cable-stayed structure with a 350-m main span and an access viaduct on either end. Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. and Gammon India are the main contractors. The bridge was designed by Systra-MVA Consulting India, a French-owned company. Systra’s contract includes supervision of the geometry for the bridge during construction. Casting of concrete for the main span had begun in late June, and work on the two pylons and lateral spans was under way.