At least two persons drowned and 20 others are missing as two buses swept away in swollen Savitri River after a British-era bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad in Western India’s Maharashtra state late last night.
Rescuers fished out bodies of two men from the river and an intense search is on to trace those missing, Raigad district collector Sheetal Ugale said at the mishap spot, 170 kms from Mumbai.
Teams of disaster management force has joined the Coast Guard and other agencies engaged in rescue and relief operations. Two state transport buses with 18 passengers and four crew members had gone missing in the Mahad tragedy, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a tweet.
Fadnavis, who is monitoring the situation, said, ‘There were two parallel bridges; one is a new bridge and one constructed during the British era. The old one collapsed.’
‘The primary reason seems to be the high pressure caused due to flooding of river Savitri due to heavy rains in catchment of Mahabaleshwar, he said. ‘Spoke to Raigad SP and Collector about bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa Highway. Administration has rushed to spot for rescue and immediate measures,’ Fadnavis said.
‘Traffic on highway is stopped. Administration is ascertaining strength and stability of new bridge,’ he tweeted.
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