6 killed, 25 swept away after a bridge collapse in India

NEW DELHI: At least six people were killed and 25 others swept away on Sunday after a bridge collapsed over the Indrayani river in the western Indian city of Pune.

Reuters citing Pimpri Chinchwad Police reported that 10 to 15 people were feared to be trapped and other 5 to 6 people were rescued.

Rescue operations are underway, with India’s National Disaster Response Force teams on the spot, the news agency added.

At least125 tourists were standing on the bridge at the time of its collapse, officials and others who witnessed the scene mentioned while speaking on the matter.

“An old bridge collapsed here around 4pm. Around 125 tourists were standing on the same spot on the bridge and it suddenly collapsed. Nearly 20-25 people were drifted away by the river. Some of them were taken out by local workers, while 4-5 are still stuck under the bridge,” Former Vice President of Cantonment Board Dehu Road, Raghuvir Shelar said.

However, other officials warned that it would be premature to provide any concrete information on the deadly incident.

Read More: British F-35 fighter jet makes emergency landing at Indian airport

“Some people are trapped. It is possible that some people have been swept away. We have not yet received any confirmation of casualties in this regard. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to talk about this now. I will give information about this only after getting complete information. Right now, the administration is trying its best to provide relief to the people,” Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said.