Mahad (Raigad): At least 22 persons are missing as two state transport buses and a private vehicle plunged into the flooded Savitri after a British-era bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad in Raigad district around 11.45 pm on Tuesday. No rescue operations could be conducted till Wednesday morning because of heavy rains and darkness.
The water, which was 15 metres high at the time of the incident, had reached the arches of the bridge when it collapsed. Only when the water level dropped to 10 metres at 5 pm on Wednesday did rescue efforts gained speed. The local administration said no vehicle had been found and an intense search was on to trace the missing people.
The Coast Guard has deployed a Chetak helicopter, while two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams with 40 personnel and around 15 rafts are engaged in rescue and relief operations. Furthermore, two Navy helicopters and local fishermen have been searching for signs of life in the river.
The police has refuted initial reports of local officers discovering two bodies.
“Initially, we thought that there were two bodies, but now it seems it was only a rumour,” said superintendent of police Pranali Sonawale.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, accompanied by state PWD minister Chandrakant Patil and Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, conducted an aerial survey of the area in the evening to review the progress of search and rescue operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed about the tragedy, he said.
