Mumbai : At least 42 people are feared killed in the bridge collapse in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday. The rescuers battled a swollen Savitri river to fish out 11 bodies.
The British-era bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway caved in on Tuesday night, sending two buses and other small vehicles plunging into the flooded river near Mahad town, about 170 km from Mumbai.
Fadvanis, who spoke on the disaster in assembly, gave details of the vehicles that went down and also announced a judicial probe into the incident.
Families of those killed will be assisted with the ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each, he said.
Transport minister Diwakar Raote announced either a government job to a family member of the deceased staff of the two MSRTC buses that were washed away or compensation of Rs 10 lakh each.
As the government came under opposition attack for the accident, said to be result of lack of the maintenance of the 88-year-old bridge, Fadnavis said a structural audit of old bridges will be completed at the earliest.
The collapsed bridge had surpassed its utility period but the Public Works Department (PWD) allowed it for vehicular traffic despite another bridge built parallel to the old one in 2000.
While the old bridge was used for traffic moving towards Mumbai, the new bridge was used by vehicles going towards Goa.
Besides the four-wheelers, there were also reports of a couple of two and three-wheelers missing from the highway and feared drowned in the bridge collapse, he said.
