At least two people died after an old bridge collapsed in Goa on Thursday evening, reported ANI. The dilapidated bridge, said to date back to the Portuguese era, spanned the Sanvordem river in Curchorem village in South Goa. Several people are still missing.
The incident took place when people had gathered on the bridge to watch personnel of the state Fire and Emergency Services rescue a youth who had allegedly jumped into the river in an apparent suicide bid. Nine Navy divers with boats have been deployed to find those missing. They are being helped by rescue teams from a private agency, Drishti Lifeguard Services.
The local police said around 50 people had gathered on the bridge before it collapsed, of which around 20 people swam to the shore while another 14 people were rescued from the water. “More people are feared to have been trapped under the collapsed portion of the bridge,” an unidentified official told Hindustan Times.
The local administration has yet to confirm the number of people missing or feared dead. “A massive search and rescue operation is being carried out,” said Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. “We still don’t have exact number of people who could be in the water.”
The bridge had closed for public use for the past four years, said PWD minister Sudin Dhavalikar. “People who were keen on witnessing the rescue operation for a youth who had jumped into the river to commit suicide removed the barricades on the bridge,” he said.
After the incident, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he had spoken to Parrikar and was tracking the rescue efforts.
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