Meanwhile, leader of opposition in Maharashtra assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the government needed to expand the scope of search operation as a body had been found nearly 100-km from the accident site, at Kinjarle beach. The bridge is situated just 18 km from the Arabian Sea. In this 24 hours rescue team were unable to find the vehicles and the people.
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As many as 42 people might have been washed way in the Mahad bridge collapse on Tuesday night, complaints received by the control room suggested.
“The NDRF teams have reached and they are trying their level best to ensure relief and rehabilitation and a massive search is underway”.
Since the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses – which started from Mumbai – did not arrive at their scheduled Mahad depot, Ugale appealed people to get in touch with the concerned authorities about their missing relatives.
In this photograph released by The Indian Coastguard on August 3, 2016, Indian bystanders look at the wreckage of a partially collapsed bridge over the River Savitri in Raigad District some 100kms south of Mumbai.
Teams of rescuers, including navy divers, have been searching the river using a chopper, aircraft and inflatable dinghies but they have been severely challenged by the strong currents, the report said.
“The primary reason seems to be the high pressure caused due to flooding of river Savitri due to heavy rains”, Devendra Phadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra, said on Twitter. In fact, there were two parallel bridges – one new and one old.
According to the district officials, one of the buses was proceeding to Mumbai from Jaigad in Raigad, and the other was on its way to Borivali (Mumbai) from Rajapur. Two state buses with at least 22 people on board were driving across the 50-foot, 1940s-era bridge when it collapsed.
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A helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) as well as boats and rafts had been pressed into service in the search and rescue operations.
