Mahad bridge collapse: Wreckage of two buses found in Savitri river

Amid fears that bodies of some victims in the Mahad bridge collapse tragedy will never be found, Navy divers on Thursday spotted the wreckage of the two buses, giving fresh hopes.

Two buses were washed away in the Savitri River near Mahad after a British-era bridge collapsed on 2 August.

“After working 12-14 hours a day for the last 8 days, the Naval teams have located wreckage of the two buses submerged in water at Mahad,” a Defence spokesperson said. “The wreckage seem to be parts of buses and were found approximately 170 and 200 metres from the collapsed bridge.”

Spot diving was carried out despite presence of crocodiles, high current and tough conditions in the river.

“The NDRF teams are being informed and crane for recovery of the wreckage is being requested,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

But till Wednesday, the government admitted that hopes of finding bodies of victims were diminishing. According to a report in  The Indian Express  Public Works Department Minister Chandrakant Patil Wednesday admitted that the swift flowing river and crocodile hotbeds were an impediment to the search operations. The report also said that government sources conceded that which each passing day, the anger and dispair in the kin of the victims were increasing even as NDRF and navy personnel combed the river despite unfavourable conditions.

Meanwhile, to alleviate some of the problems the kin of victims might be facing, the state government has decided to amend the rule relating to ex-gratia payment to the kin of missing people, so that they can receive government grant in a reasonable time. According to a report in  Hindustan Times , PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil said, “Existing rules state a person not traceable for seven years is to be declared dead. We have decided make an exception in this case, so the families are compensated with immediate effect.” 

The minister also announced that the compensation for the kin of victims in a private vehicle will be increased. The family of the people who died in the state transport buses will be given Rs 14 lakh while the kin of those who died in private vehicles will be given Rs 10 lakh.

The Indian Navy team comprising personnel specialising in diving have been searching for the wreckage and survivors since the morning of 4 August.

The effort was in response to a request received from the state government for undertaking search along the river for survivors and bodies, he said.

So far, 26 bodies have been recovered after two State Transport buses and some other vehicles fell in the river following the bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad in Raigad district, about 170 kms from Mahad, on 2 August.

The British-era bridge was to be dismantled in December 2016 as part of Mumbai-Goa Highway expansion project, Maharashtra government said on Wednesday.

State PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil had said there are about 2,300 bridges in the state, of which 100-odd are from the British era and from the time of 17th century warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“All these bridges will be inspected twice every year. A three-member committee of experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has commenced its study about the collapsed bridge and the report is expected by the next Cabinet meeting due on 23 August,” he said on Thursday.

The process of launching judicial inquiry into the crash is also underway, Patil said, adding that “a workshop will be conducted for the PWD engineers for methodology to be used for inspection of the bridges.”

With inputs from PTI