Maharashtra’s public works department minister, Chandrakant Patil, on Wednesday said the bridge that collapsed in Mahad district last week was supposed to be dismantled in December 2015, NDTV reported. The British era bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway collapsed on August 2 very heavy rains, killing at least 26 people. Around 14 people are still missing. Two state vehicles and several vehicles were submerged in the Savitri river.
Raigad's Residential Deputy Collector Satish Bagal told PTI that search operations are continuing, and that “…when our agencies trace and recover a body or remains of vehicles, we are reporting it to the disaster control room set up in Mumbai.”
The state and central government sent in personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, Army, Navy and even and Air Force chopper to help search for the victims. The local administration also used a large crane requisitioned from the National Highways Authority of India and a 300 kg magnet for the rescue operations.
Earlier, the Maharashtra government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those killed in the mishap.
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