 "CST bridge collapse in Mumbai: Twitter mocks Devendra Fadnavis, says 'totally disappointed' after 6 die in accident")
Six persons were killed and 31 injured after section of a foot overbridge near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station in south Mumbai collapsed during evening rush hour on Thursday, officials said. The bridge, which connected the area near The Times of India building with the iconic station, was commonly called ‘Kasab bridge’ as the 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist passed through it during the strike. The injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals, a disaster management cell official said. Just after the incident, Mumbai Police had tweeted: “Foot over-bridge connecting CST platform 1 north end with BT Lane near Times of India building has collapsed. Injured persons are being shifted to hospitals. Traffic affected. Commuters to use alternate routes. Senior officers are on spot.” The deceased were identified as Apoorva Prabhu (35), Anjana Tambe (40), Bhakti Shinde (40), Zahid Shiraj Khan (32), Tapendra Singh (28) and Mohan, said the disaster management cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Prabhu and Tambe were employees of the GT Hospital, the officials said. A case has been registered against officials of Central Railway and the BMC in connection with the incident, police said. Reactions started pouring in as soon reports of the collapse started gaining traction on social media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives due to the accident and assured that the Maharashtra government would provide all assistance to those affected. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said those responsible for the accident will be booked under culpable homicide. Fadnavis added that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Police have been instructed to ensure speedy relief efforts in coordination with Ministry of Railways. Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said, “This is an unfortunate incident. This bridge was also audited after the Elphinstone Road incident. Minor repairs were suggested in the audit. Despite that, the structure collapsed. If the structural audit is wrong and if there were lapses, they will be investigated. The extent of the repairs done will also be probed. We will strictly investigate this.
Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to the foot overbridge accident in Mumbai. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Wishing that the injured recover at the earliest. The Maharashtra Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 14, 2019
Pained to hear about the FOB incident near TOI building in Mumbai.
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) March 14, 2019
Spoke to BMC Commissioner and @MumbaiPolice officials and instructed to ensure speedy relief efforts in coordination with @RailMinIndia officials.
CM @Dev_Fadnavis ordered high level enquiry into #MumbaiBridgeCollapse incident and announced ₹5 lakh for the next of the kins of deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured and their medical expenses will be borne by GoM. pic.twitter.com/k6mR5PCGzb
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) March 14, 2019
All the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, a disaster management cell official told News18. An eyewitness said when the bridge collapsed, there was a red light at the nearby signal, and that is why the toll was not more. Another eyewitness said the overbridge was being used despite repairs being carried out on Thursday morning. Apart from politicians and eminent personalities, journalists and citizens of the city took to Twitter to outrage over collapse and questioned officials’ apathy to the situation. Kiran Manral, author and Ideas Editor at SheTHePeople told Firstpost, “I blame the citizens of Mumbai who have tolerated the city’s poor infrastructure for far too long. We have had recent overbridg tragedies at Elphinstone and Andheri. There have similar incidents in the past. The city roads are riddled with potholes. What is the civic administration doing? Every time there is a tragedy, the Mumbaikar’s spirit and resilience is spoken about but it is a survival instinct.” She further added, “What does the bridge collapse tell us? That citizens are not safe in Mumbai. That we don’t know when we leave our homes and go on foot or take vehicles on flyovers and overbridges whether they will collapse. I keep thinking about the mother who died and the child who has live without her mother. Would the Rs 5 lakh compensation be enough? I don’t see the reason why the government has to call in the Army to carry out repair works and build new overbridges. We have enough resources to call in experts in the field and get professional work done.” “I read that the audit of the bridge that collapse in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus said that it needed repairs. But was that carried out? Who is carrying out the audits of bridges? Whoever did the repair work, just put up tiles and painted over it. Who is supervising the audit report and work that is carried out? We have so many other bridges in Mumbai. Any bridge we are passing over or under may collapse. As citizens we need to know what action is being done on audits carried out on bridges. We know a few bridges in the city have been closed,” Manral added. Rights activist Harish Iyer said, “What has happened is deplorable. The government cannot play a blame game. The government at the centre is is power in the state and has a coalition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). They need to answer about why this happened.”
Dear Mumbaikars. You are getting an expensive costal road with 2000 free parkings. Why are you asking the angry politicians about bridges and FOBs that are killing people? 😡😡 summon up the spirit of Mumbai and carry on!! pic.twitter.com/iU2cieSm7r
— Sucheta Dalal (@suchetadalal) March 14, 2019
Netizens from Mumbai, who were watching the live telecast of the accident site and those who were eye witnesses, said that the situation was disappointing.
Totally disappointed with @Central_Railway for not taking care of Footover bridge outside #CSMT !#CSMTBridgeCollapse
— Vipin Patel 🇮🇳 (@vipin15v) March 14, 2019
#csmt bridge collapse @Central_Railway pic.twitter.com/lqkGMzoCKr
— Gaurav Manral🇮🇳 (@imgmanral) March 14, 2019
— Racquel Murrio (@sufimerchant) March 14, 2019
This politician will spend crores on elections campaign but not bridge
— keshav singla (@keshavsingla10) March 14, 2019
GOD HELP MY NATION #MumbaiBridgeCollapse #CSMT
THE FOB RIGHT BEHIND THE BMC HEADQUARTERS COLLAPSED 20-25 PEOPLE INJURED &
— Pratik Modi🇮🇳 (@pratikmodi2) March 14, 2019
SOME REPORTED DEAD😓. BMC FAILS TO MAINTAIN THE AREA AROUND ITS HEADQUARTERS . YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW THEY MUST BE MAINTAINING THE CITY. #CST #CSMT
Other politicians and leaders, including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Milind Deora Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha, Randeep Singh Surjewala, actor Amitabh Bachchan, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and many others reacted to the accident.
मुंबई फुटओवर ब्रिज हादसे की ख़बर से मुझे बेहद दुःख हुआ है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 14, 2019
मृतकों के परिजनों के प्रति मैं अपनी गहरी शोक और संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूँ।
जो घायल हैं उन्हें जल्द से जल्द राहत मिले मेरी ये प्रार्थना है।
After the Elphinstone tragedy, the footover bridge outside CSMT has collapsed despite being structurally audited just six months ago.
— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा (@milinddeora) March 14, 2019
This is absolutely unacceptable. An FIR should be filed under IPC Section 302 against BMC officers responsible for this negligence. pic.twitter.com/4TJXuE4pdb
स्थिति इतनी खराब है की BMC कार्यालय के बराबर में हुई यह दुर्घटना दिखाती है की 6 महीने पहले CST ब्रिज के असुरक्षित पाए जाने के बावजूद इस पर किसी प्रकार की कोई कार्यवाही नहीं की गई।
— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा (@milinddeora) March 14, 2019
जिम्मेदार अधिकारियों और ऑडिटर के खिलाफ IPC की धारा 302 के तहत कड़ी से कड़ी कार्यवाही होनी चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/Qrc1YnrCsA
Railway Minister @PiyushGoyal expresses his sincere condolences to the family of the victims in Mumbai Bridge Collapse. Railway doctors and personnel are cooperating with BMC in relief and rescue operations.
— Piyush Goyal Office (@PiyushGoyalOffc) March 14, 2019
My thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost their loved ones in the tragic bridge collapse in Mumbai today. I wish the injured a speedy and complete recovery.
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 14, 2019
T 3118 - In grief and in silent prayer .. !! Mumbai city
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 14, 2019
Distressed at the news of the fall of part of the overbridge at CST. Praying for the injured.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 14, 2019
Commuter safety needs attention and hoping that authorities act to prevent such incidents.
Prayers with the victims of #MumbaiBridgeCollapse.
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 14, 2019
How many more times will the common man of mumbai will be crushed under such wreckages ? https://t.co/aJi8ZlpSwz
The bridge that collapsed in front of VT station in Mumbai today was built in front of us in 1984 when I worked for The Times of India. Terrible tragedy. 5 dead; 25 injured. Railways blaming BMC. BMC blaming the Railways. The usual.
— Pritish Nandy (@PritishNandy) March 14, 2019
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