Six tourists have drowned and several others are are feared to have drowned after a bridge built over the Indrayani river in Pune collapsed, Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan said.
Sunday’s incident was reported from Kundmala, a popular tourist destination that sees high footfall during monsoons. Around 15 to 20 tourists, who were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, fell into the swollen river and have reportedly been swept away.
Eight people have been rescued so far, two women are still stuck under the bridge.
The bridge collapse in Pune rural’s Maval area comes even as an orange alert remains in place for Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, with heavy to very heavy rains expected in the ghat regions. The area had received heavy rains in the last two days.
Residents had reportedly raised concerns about the structural safety of the bridge, which was renovated 4-5 years ago, but many tourists were unaware of the potential danger.