A Mumbai-Goa highway bridge which built more than seven decades ago in British Era collapsed at late last night on Wednesday. Two buses and several cars including nearly 44 people went missing.
80 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) including divers have been sent to the spot. Heavy rainfall in the area is slowing the rescue operations down. A Coast Guard helicopter is currently being used to spot probable survivors. No survivors or vehicle have been found hitherto.
A new bridge was built a few years ago parallel to the old bridge. The new one was used for traveling Goa to Mumbai. Traffic has been diverted to the new bridge.
The bridge was built over the Savitri River in Raigarh district, Maharashtra. Water level of Savitri has increased due to continuous heavy raining over 5 days in the area. The high pressure caused due to flooding of river Savitri seems to be the primary reason of the collapse.
