Four people were killed and 18 were seriously injured when an old iron bridge collapsed on the Indrayani river on Sunday afternoon in Maval tehsil of Pune. After this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and inquired about the accident.
Officials said two people died during treatment after being rescued, while the bodies of two people were recovered from under the collapsed part of the bridge. Pradeep Ryanwar, senior inspector of Talegaon Dabhade police station, said late evening, “Two bodies have been recovered from under the structure, we suspect that a person is stuck there. Efforts are on to find out and save the person.”
Another official said that the incident took place in Kundamala area at 3:30 pm, where heavy rains have been receiving for the last few days, causing the river to flow stable. He told that when the bridge collapsed, it was not raining and at least 100 picnic people were present there.
In a statement issued by the district administration, “38 people have been rescued so far in the accident, out of which 18 are seriously injured and are undergoing treatment in three different hospitals. Two people died during treatment.”
It states that the Special Units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), as well as the fire department, police and local rescue organizations personnel to deal with such emergency situations, are involved in rescue and relief efforts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to CM Fadnavis. The Prime Minister, who is currently in Cyprus, was informed about the ongoing efforts to help the affected people.
Apart from him, Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “I am very saddened by the tragic incident of collapse of the bridge over the Indrayani river in Talegaon, Pune. Talked to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and took information about the ground situation. At the same time, the NDRF teams posted nearby reached the spot immediately, the rescue operations were involved in the rescue operations and the families of many people were left in the rescue operations. Has lost, heartburn to them.
Maharashtra CMO tweeted, “CM Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the state government will provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in the bridge collapse on the Indraani river near Talegaon in Pune district. In addition, the state government will also bear the expenses of treating the injured.”
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is campaigning in search of people swept away and all agencies are on high alert to speed up relief work. The injured are being provided medical facilities in nearest hospitals.
Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan, who was monitoring rescue operations at the scene, said the bridge collapsed due to the weight of a large number of tourists.
Mahajan told reporters, “The bridge was only for pedestrians and there was a warning board that it could not be used by two -wheelers. It seems that the people on the bridge do not pay attention to these instructions, causing the incident to be done.
He said that the state government has announced a compensation of five lakh rupees to the families of the deceased. When asked about the absence of police on the spot despite the crowd gathering amidst the rains, the minister said that it will be investigated.
He said, “It has been observed that despite continuous warnings about dangerous places during the monsoon, people go there and put their lives at risk. We appeal to tourists not to risk their lives by going to such places.”
Speaking about rescue and relief efforts, Mahajan said that cranes have been deployed to remove the collapsed portion of the bridge, while all efforts are on to save some people trapped under this collapsed portion.
DCP Vishal Gaikwad said that an old, dilapidated iron bridge collapsed around 4 pm, killing two people and injuring several others. About 5-7 people have been admitted to the hospital, and NDRF and local police have been deployed for rescue work.
Zone 2’s DCP Vishal Gaikwad said, “It was an old dilapidated iron bridge that collapsed around 4 pm. According to preliminary information, 2 people have died and about 5-7 people have been sent to the hospital. NDRF and local police have been deployed for rescue operations.”
