As it happened: Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapses, CM Fadnavis orders probe

Twelve of the passengers aboard the two buses identified

Twelve among the passengers travelling on the two buses that got washed away have been identified, according to a  Hindustan Times report. Seven passengers were identified from the Jaigad-Mumbai bus that departed on Tuesday evening at 6.30pm while five people aboard the Rajapur-Borivali bus have been identified, the report said. 

Two state transport buses with 18 passengers and four crew members had gone missing in the Mahad tragedy, as reported by PTI

Goa PWD minister faults engineers, not govt for Maharastra bridge tragedy

Goa PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar on Wednesday faulted government engineers for negligence which could have led to the collapse of a British era bridge over the Savitri river in Maharashtra.

As a result of the bridge collapse in the early hours of Wednesday, two buses and several vehicles were reported missing with at least 20 persons missing.

Speaking to reporters at the state legislative assembly complex, Dhavalikar said: “Negligence cannot be of the Maharashtra government. It is a department’s mistake, engineers’ mistake.”

He was asked by reporters, if negligence on part of the Maharashtra government could have led to the major accident along the National Highway 17.

Dhavalikar also said that there were three major bridges in Goa’s Bicholim, Sanvordem and Quepem areas which were constructed during the Portuguese era.

The minister also said that every bridge in Goa was being examined by engineers from his department every six months.

“As of today, we have no problem,” Dhavalikar said.

At least two buses and several other vehicles went missing near Mahad city after a bridge on Savitri river collapsed on Wednesday due to torrential rains in the Konkan region.

The bridge is located on the NH-17 connecting Panvel, on the outskirts of Mumbai, and Goa.

Devendra Fadnavis visits the spot of accident

Maharashtra chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis has reached at the spot of accident to take stock of the situation while the rescue operations are underway.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties and ruling BJP’s ally Shiv Sena have mounted attack on the government, questioning why the old bridge was still under operation. The state government, on the hand, has maintained that an audit of the bridge was conducted well before the monsoon, but the details of the report are unavailable as of now, according to Times Now. According to reports, turbulent flow of the Savitri river as it continues to overflow along with poor weather conditions is affecting the work of the rescue teams.  

Mumbai-Goa bridge collapse: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis at the spot pic.twitter.com/MbigFjUsQl

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016

Suresh Prabhu orders Konkan Railway to offer assistance

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered Konkan Railway to render the necessary assistance to the state government in rescue operations. Konkan Railway has rushed its rescue team and provided men and material including Self-Propelled Accident Relief Medical Van (SPARMV) and Accident Relief Train (ART), medical team, and mechanics and engineers. 

Konkan Railway officials are constantly in touch with the control room set up by the State Government at Mahad.

Maharashtra governor expresses grief over loss of life 

Maharashtra Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao issued a statement expressing concern over the bridge collapse. 

“My heart goes out to the the persons who were on board the two buses and other vehicles that have gone missing in the Savitri river in Mahad. I offer my condolences to the kin of those who lost their lives and pray for the safe rescue of those who are missing,” he said.

According to a Defence spokesperson, Coast Guard deployed a Chetak helicopter at about 8:15 am to carry out search for people who were swept away from bridge.

A Sea king 42C all-weather aircraft with a diving team has been launched by the Navy.A Sea king 42B helicopter on another mission was also diverted to the area for search.

Vasundhara Raje says

Precious lives lost in the unfortunate bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa highway. My prayers go out for the safety of the missing.

— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) August 3, 2016

12 feared dead, say media reports

According to Hindustan Times, 12, of the 17 passengers who are suspected to have been washed away, have been identified.  Two buses of the state-owned undertaking Jaigad-Mumbai and Rajapur-Borivali are suspected to have washed away in the flood. A total 21 passengers including four crew members were reportedly onboard of the buses.

Four NDRF teams working to locate the 20 others missing

Four teams of NDRF, comprising 40 deep-divers in each, have joined the Coast Guard and other agencies engaged in rescue and relief operations and are scouring the mishap site. “As soon we got information about the tragic incident, we dispatched two teams from Pune and two teams from Mumbai who are searching for missing persons in the swollen river,” an NDRF official, who was monitoring the rescue operations, said.

“Also, we have kept two teams in Mumbai and two teams in Pune in stand-by mode, and they would be roped in as and when needed,” he said. “Our team of special divers is equipped enough to handle the situation as with the help of oxygen masks, they can go deep up to 10 metres down and can stay there for long,” the official added. He added the teams have covered 100 to 200 metres from bridge and would expand the search area.

The Coast Guard has deployed a Chetak helicopter to carry out search for people who were swept away from the bridge. Soon after the incident, Raigad SP Suvez Haque and Collector visited the spot where the bridge once stood. Darkness had hampered operations, which resumed this morning.

‘High pressure caused due to flooding of Savitri due to heavy rains in catchment of Mahabaleshwar’

“The primary reason seems to be the high pressure caused due to flooding of river Savitri due to heavy rains in catchment of Mahabaleshwar, he said. “Spoke to Raigad SP and Collector about bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa Highway. Administration has rushed to spot for rescue and immediate measures,” Fadnavis said.

“Traffic on highway is stopped. Administration is ascertaining strength and stability of new bridge,” he tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Fadnavis and was briefed about the bridge collapse.“The PM offered all help in rescue and relief operations,” Fadnavis said. NDRF teams are already activated, he had tweeted earlier.

Maharashtra governor orders review of bridges

Bridge on Mumbai-Goa highway collapses after rains;Coastguard joins rescue ops; State govt orders reviews of bridgeshttps://t.co/9zGUxcx3Fz

— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 3, 2016

Painful, unfortunate: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh informed the Lok Sabha that two helicopters have also been deployed and the Centre was giving all possible help to the state administration in the rescue efforts.

“What happened is very painful and unfortunate. It happened at around 11.30 pm. Two passenger buses and four other vehicles are feared to have been washed away in the river,” he said.

Teams of disaster management force has joined the Coast Guard and other agencies engaged in rescue and relief operations. Two state transport buses with 18 passengers and four crew members had gone missing in the Mahad tragedy, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said in a tweet. Fadnavis, who is monitoring the situation, said, “There were two parallel bridges; one is a new bridge and one constructed during the British era. The old one collapsed.”

Ruckus in Lok Sabha 

Shiv Sena member Shrirang Barne raised the issue of the collapse of the bridge over a swollen Savitri river on the Mumbai-Goa highway in Raigad district of Maharashtra. Two people have been confirmed dead and 20 others are missing as two buses were swept away late on Tuesday.

He warned that another bridge in Chiplun may face a similar fate and said though the government had started work to widen the highway since 2011, the pace of work in his constituency, between Panvel to Indapur, was slow and no work has been done for the last three years.

Centre stands with Maharashtra Govt in this hour of crisis and assures all possible help, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Lok Sabha. 

4 NDRF teams comprising 115 personnel including divers along with 12 boats were immediately rushed to Maha bridge collapse site- HM in LS

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016

The spokesperson of the Indian Navy tweeted pictures of the rescue operation

16 divers and few Geminis have already been deployed for the rescue operations, he said. 

#SAR @SpokespersonMoD some more pics of rescue operation...16 Divers and few Geminis already deployed pic.twitter.com/1lwXXdyMIg

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) August 3, 2016

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that two buses with 22 people onboard were missing. It was later that the rescue teams recovered two bodies. 

As of now we have reports of 2 state transport buses missing with 22 people onboard-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/ozFGSubsY7

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016

Watch: NDRF team reaches collapse site

#WATCH: NDRF team reaches site of bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa highway in Raigad, to carry out search operationshttps://t.co/aB7MNLnRul

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016

Indian Navy’s all weather aircraft was deployed at the site of the bridge collapse in Raigad for rescue operations

Visuals of Indian Navy aircraft carrying out search operations at the site of bridge collapse in Raigad(Maharashtra) pic.twitter.com/RohUzoDwru

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016

NDRF team carrying out search & rescue ops at the site of bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa highway pic.twitter.com/nb1dNhtZgO

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016

Mahad bridge collapse: Have info about 2 buses, few cars being missing, search ops underway: Anupam Srivastav, NDRF pic.twitter.com/tYF7LplyAm

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016

Pics of Indian Navy's all weather aircraft deployed at site of bridge collapse in Raigad (Maharashtra)for search ops pic.twitter.com/ifnaIx7ohs

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2016