New Delhi, July 12 - E. Sreedharan, managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), resigned from the post Sunday, taking moral responsibility for the collapse of the underconstruction bridge that killed five people in the capital.

Addressing a press conference here, the 77-year-old Sreedharan expressed 'lot of pain and remorse' over the accident in south Delhi.

'Having taken moral responsibility of the incident, I have sent my resignation to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna,' Sreedharan told reporters.

The bridge that collapsed Sunday was part of an elevated section of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) new route on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur section. The incident took place at around 5 a.m. at the construction site at Zamrudpur near Amar Colony.

A launching girder along with a portion of the bridge set up on pre-fabricated pillars collapsed. Five people were killed and 15 were injured in the accident.

The section was slated to be open September 2010, a month before the Commonwealth Games next year.