Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapse: Buses swept away; 2 dead, 20 missing

Mahad: Two bodies have been found 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 Maharashtra's Raigad district 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 Km from Mumbai.

Disaster management teams have joined the Coast Guard and other agencies engaged in rescue and relief operations.

Read: Bridge collapse: Centre extending all help to Maharashtra govt, says Rajnath

Two state transport buses with 18 passengers and four crew members had gone missing in the Mahad tragedy, Maharashtra CM 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."

(Photo: Rajesh Jadhav/DC)"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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Fadnavis and was briefed about the bridge collapse. "The PM offered all help in rescue and relief operations," Fadnavis said.

NDRF teams are already activated, he tweeted. The Coast Guard has deployed a Chetak helicopter to carry out search for people who were swept away from the bridge.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the bridge collapse site. (Photo: Rajesh Jadhav/DC)Soon after the incident, Raigad SP Suvez Haque and Collector visited the spot where the bridge once stood. Darkness had hampered operations, which resumed this morning.

According to a Defence spokesperson, Coast Guard deployed a Chetak helicopter at about 8:15 AM to carry out search for people who were swept away from bridge.

A Seaking 42C all-weather aircraft with a diving team has been launched by the Navy. A Seaking 42B helicopter on another mission was also diverted to the area for search.

Four teams of NDRF, comprising 40 deep-divers in each, have joined the Coast Guard and other agencies engaged in rescue and relief operations and are scouring the mishap site. "As soon we got information about the tragic incident, we dispatched two teams from Pune and two teams from Mumbai who are searching for missing persons in the swollen river," an NDRF official, who was monitoring the rescue operations, said.

"Also, we have kept two teams in Mumbai and two teams in Pune in stand-by mode, and they would be roped in as and when needed," he said.

"Our team of special divers is equipped enough to handle the situation as with the help of oxygen masks, they can go deep up to 10 metres down and can stay there for long," the official added.

He added the teams have covered 100 to 200 metres from bridge and would expand the search area.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has also asked Konkan Railway to render necessary assistance to the state government in the rescue operations.

Konkan Railway's Chief PRO Siddheshwar Telugu said a rescue team has been rushed to assist the personnel present on the spot. "Konkan Railway is providing men and material inclusive of self-propelled accident relief medical van (SPARMV), accident relief train (ART), doctor and medical team, mechanical rescue team and engineering rescue team," said Telugu.

Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao has expressed grief over the loss of life caused due to the bridge collapse. The Governor has also expressed concern over the fate of the missing persons who boarded the State Transport buses and other vehicles that have gone missing in the flood. "My heart goes out to the persons who were on board the two buses and other vehicles that have gone missing in the Savitri river in Mahad. I offer my condolences to the kin of those who lost their lives and pray for the safe rescue of those who are missing," he said in a message.

Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar informed the state Legislative Assembly that he has asked the Director General of Police to find out whether any Goan was among the 22 people who went missing.

"On Goa-Mumbai road at Mahad a few vehicles have gone down the bridge which collapsed. I have asked Goa DGP to check whether fatalities include Goans," Parsekar told the state Assembly.

"Till now there is no information about the Goans involved in the accident. Government has kept a constant watch. We are in constant touch. We will do whatever is required," the chief minister said.

Also, the Goa government is likely to audit strength of Portuguese-era bridges that were built and being used in the coastal state. "There is a need to audit the strength of existing Goan bridges and roads. Most of the existing bridges were built during Portuguese time and they are still in use," Goa's Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza told reporters outside the Assembly.

He said the incident at Mahad (in Raigad district) is "a wake up call for us to look at the state of affairs of our bridges". "Once the audit is done we can also decide where we have to create new infrastructure," he said.