Pune bridge collapse: The rescue operations concluded this morning after nearly 15 hours.
- Four people died and over 50 were injured in a bridge collapse near Pune, Maharashtra.
- The bridge, nearly 30 years old, was narrow and overcrowded.
- Rescue operations lasted 15 hours, rescuing 55 people from the spot.
Four people died and over 50 were injured when a nearly 30-year-old narrow bridge over the Indrayani River near Talegaon in Maharashtra's Pune district collapsed on Sunday afternoon. Many tourists, who were on the bridge, fell into the river that had been in spate after heavy rainfall over the weekend. Some of them were reportedly swept away.
The rescue operations concluded this morning after nearly 15 hours. Officials said that a total of 55 people were rescued. Of the four deaths - three people have been identified.
What went wrong in Pune bridge collapse?
The bridge is 470 feet long, with the first part being a stone slope of about 70 to 80 feet. It is then connected with two 100-foot-long iron sections and a 200-foot-long cement section. The width of the bridge is just four feet. According to officials, the bridge is so narrow that only one bike and two people can cross it at a time. However, at the time of the tragedy, there were around seven to eight bikes on the bridge, in addition to a huge crowd.
According to officials, more than 100 people were present on the bridge - ignoring the warning board at the spot.
The number of tourists visiting Kundmala has increased in the last few months. Officials said that every weekend, around eight thousand people were passing through the dilapidated bridge - even as it did not have the capacity to handle the crowd.
Additionally, potholes appeared on the bridge, causing two-wheelers to collide. With no permanent solution, locals had put cement blocks on the bridge to temporarily cover the potholes.
Also Read | River Bridge Near Pune Was Rusted, Probably Collapsed Due To Crowding: Ajit Pawar
No structural audit, lack of security
Officials had not conducted a structural audit of the bridge in the past few years, despite the locals writing a letter to the Public Works Department and the Gram Panchayat two years ago - demanding the repair of the bridge and a ban on the movement of tourists.
There was no security in the area either.
After repeated demands by the villagers, the administration began posting a police official near the bridge every Saturday.
Money sanctioned for repair
Last year, BJP MLA and minister Ravindra Chavan had sanctioned Rs 80,000 for the repair of the collapsed bridge.
However, the money was not used for the repair work.
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Repair request in 2017
In 2017, former MLA Digambardada Bhegde had demanded the construction of a new bridge over the river.
"I request the Maharashtra government to please provide funds for the reconstruction of the bridge over the Indrayani River. Only one person can cross the bridge. There are eight to ten villagers near it. Farmers, workers, and students need to cross the bridge - who do it on foot. However, two-wheelers and four-wheelers cannot pass through this. We request the Public Works Department and the administration to reconstruct the bridge," Mr Bhegde had written in the letter.
The issue was also raised in the Parliament.
However, the demand was ignored by the administration.
What happened on Sunday
Officials said that hours before the collapse incident at 12:30 pm, a resident had contacted the police control room informing them of the overcrowding on the bridge. Three officials immediately reached the spot and dispersed the crowd.
But as soon as the cops left, the crowd returned, which led to the collapse.
Witnesses said that the iron bridge shook for around five minutes before it gave in to the weight of scores of tourists and several two-wheelers. Amol, who was on the bridge at the time, said screams rang through the air as the rusted structure collapsed, with locals rushing to the spot to initiate rescue operations. "I struggled for 15 minutes in the water and finally held a pipe and came out," he told NDTV.
Another witness, who was at the spot, said that at least 50 people were present on the bridge at the time of the incident. "People had their scooters and motorcycles parked on the bridge. Nobody paid heed to danger signs," she said.
