Teams of NDRF, Navy, Coast Guard, IAF and Konkan Railway carry out rescue operations, reports Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com
At least two persons drowned and 22 others are missing as two buses swept away in swollen Savitri River after a British-era bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad in Maharashtra’s Raigad district late on Tuesday night.
Rescuers fished out bodies of two men from the river and an intense search is on to trace those missing, Raigad district collector Sheetal Teli Ugale said.
Four teams of National Disaster Response Force with 40 deep-divers joined the rescue operations and also scanned the banks of river Savitri between Mahad and Poladpur to search for more bodies.
Pandit Ithape, deputy commandant of NDRF, who is on the spot told Rediff.com over the phone the NDRF divers are also searching for the buses.
”The river flow is very high and we are waiting for it to slow down a bit before the divers begin search operations,” Ithape said. According to locals, who Ithape spoke to, the depth of the Savitri river in spate where the bridge collapsed could be about 20 feet.
As per a press note issued by the chief public relations officer-defence after receiving a report on Wednesday morning that a bridge on Savitri had collapsed at about midnight in Mahad, Raigad district an immediate search operation was launched.
The Coast Guard had deployed a Chetak helicopter at about 8:15 am for carrying out search for missing people. An Mi 17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force had also undertaken search down the river.
Indian Navy Seaking 42C, an all weather aircraft with diving team has been deployed by the Navy to carry out search operations. The Diving team has been positioned there and awaiting inputs on location of the vehicles.
Cdr Rahul Sinha, chief PRO, Defence told Rediff.com that the river current being very strong at the moment the divers will be asked to begin a search operation only if there is a positive identification of the vehicles.
An NDRF official, who is monitoring the rescue operations, said, "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.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the spot in the evening. Earlier, he had said he is monitoring the situation.
‘Spoke to Raigad SP and collector about bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa Highway. Administration has rushed to spot for rescue and immediate measures,’ Fadnavis had tweeted.
‘There were two parallel bridges; one is a new bridge and one constructed during the British era. The old one collapsed.
'The primary reason seems to be the high pressure caused due to flooding of river Savitri due to heavy rains in catchment of Mahabaleshwar.
'Traffic on highway is stopped. Administration is ascertaining strength and stability of new bridge. There is no confirmed assessment about casualties,’ he had said in series of tweets.
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.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has also asked Konkan Railway to render necessary assistance to the state government in the rescue operations.
Konkan Railway’s Chief PRO Siddheshwar Telugu said a rescue team has been rushed to assist the personnel present on the spot.
“Konkan Railway is providing men and material inclusive of self-propelled accident relief medical van, accident relief train, doctor and medical team, mechanical rescue team and engineering rescue team,” said Telugu.
Speaking to Rediff.com, Maharashtra housing minister Prakash Mehta, who was rushing to the spot, said, “We have pressed helicopters fitted with magnetic plates that are hovering over the river so that presence of any iron bodies under the water could be ascertained. Specialised speed boats too are scanning the river banks in search of people.”
Mehta said he spoke with Raigad district collector Sheetal Teli Ugale, who was monitoring operations of the state administration since 4 am. Local authorities, in fact, reached the spot within 30 minutes of the bridge collapse (likely at 12.30 am) but were handicapped by the strong river currents as well as darkness.
According to officials at the control room Raigad district, two state transport buses -- MH20 DL 1538, with drivr by S S Kamble and conductor V K Desai, from Jaigadh; and MH40 N 9739, with driver G S Munde and conductor P B Shirke, from Rajapur -- left Chiplun in Ratnagiri district at 9.30 pm on August 2.
Both buses have still not reached their destination: Borivali in Mumbai. They are likely to have been washed away or submerged in river Savitri.
Both buses were carrying nine passengers each and the family members of these passengers have been informed.
Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao has expressed grief over the loss of life caused due to the bridge collapse.
The governor has also expressed concern over the fate of the missing persons who boarded the State Transport buses and other vehicles that have gone missing in the flood.
‘My heart goes out to 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 in a message.
With inputs from PTI.