Pune: At least four people were killed, several others were injured, and many others were missing, while 39 people were rescued after they fell into an overflowing river when an old bridge they were crossing collapsed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday.
The bridge over the Indrayani River at Kundamala in Pune’s Maval taluka suddenly collapsed, sending the people plunging into the water and being swept away by the overflowing river. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that preliminary reports indicate two persons have died as he expressed grief over the incident.
“I was deeply saddened to hear the news of the tragedy that occurred when a bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed in Indori, near Talegaon in Pune district. According to preliminary information, 2 people have died in this incident. I pay my heartfelt tribute to them. We share the grief of their families. I am in constant touch with the Divisional Commissioner, District Collector, Superintendent of Police and the concerned Tehsildar regarding this incident. As some people have been swept away, a search is being carried out on a war footing. NDRF has been deployed at the spot. The relief work has been immediately accelerated. 6 people have been rescued so far. All the agencies have been ordered to be on alert mode. 32 people were injured, 6 of them are critical. They have been admitted to the hospital for treatment. The Divisional Commissioner himself has left for the scene,” CM Fadnavis said in a post in X in Marathi.
Visuals from the scene show sections of the bridge, mostly directly over the waters, have broken down and fallen into the river while rescue personnel from various agencies worked to locate and rescue the victims. A crane has been pressed into service as efforts continue to remove parts of the collapsed structure amid rescue operations. (IANS)
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