Bridge across river in Pune collapses killing 2; search for missing on

Pune: At least two persons died, and several may have been swept away after an iron bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed on Sunday afternoon in Pune's Maval tehsil, PTI reported, citing an official’s account.

The incident took place in the Kundamala area, which has been seeing heavy rains over the past few days, giving the river a steady flow, an official from Talegaon Dabhade police station said. It was not raining when the bridge collapsed, he added.

"As per preliminary information, two persons have died in the collapse, while some are feared swept away. Five to six persons have been rescued as per initial information and have been sent to hospital for checkups," he said.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and personnel from other specialised units, including the fire brigade, are at the spot, which was crowded due to it being a Sunday, the official added.

The area is heavily patronised by picnickers, the police official said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that the iron bridge over the Indrayani River was rusted and prima facie, it gave way as several people were standing on the structure, killing two individuals.

Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi said 38 people have been rescued so far, and 30 of them hospitalised, while six others sustained serious injuries. The collector said the exact number of people present on the bridge when it collapsed and swept away is being assessed.

"We are also assessing how many people are missing," he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawar said, "We have received various versions of the incident. As per the preliminary information, the bridge was old and rusted. Many people were standing on the bridge when it collapsed".

He said a plan for constructing a new bridge over the river was sanctioned.