A 30-year-old narrow bridge over the Indrayani River in Pune collapsed on Sunday afternoon. Four people lost their lives, and over 50 were injured. Rescue operations ended this morning after nearly 15 hours. Read on to know what happened in Pune.
Pune Bridge Collapses Due To Overcrowding On Sunday
As per The Times of India, a 30-year-old bridge over the Indrayani River in Pune’s Maval tehsil, Maharashtra, collapsed, resulting in four deaths and leaving over 50 people injured. The Indrayani River in the Kundamala area is a popular picnic spot among locals. The bridge had swollen due to heavy rainfall and overcrowding over the past few days.
According to TOI, around 100 people were on the iron bridge when it collapsed. Officials also said that every weekend, nearly 8,000 people passed through the bridge, despite it not being able to handle such a crowd. On top of that, potholes on the bridge caused two-wheelers to collide. Locals had even placed cement blocks on the bridge to temporarily cover the potholes.
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Pune Bridge Lacked Regular Maintenance
This bridge in Pune is 470 feet long, with its first 70 to 80 feet made of a stone slope. It connects to two 100-foot iron sections and a 200-foot cement section. The bridge is only 4 feet wide, which makes it too narrow to handle large crowds. Officials stated that just one bike and two people can cross it at a time. But at the time of the incident, there were eight bikes and too many people on the bridge.
Authorities had not conducted a structural audit in recent years, despite locals demanding it. Locals also wrote to the Public Works Department and the Gram Panchayat two years ago, asking for repairs and a ban on tourist movement. Moreover, there was no security around the area as well. After repeated requests, the administration started posting a police official near the bridge every Saturday. According to NDTV, BJP MLA and Minister Ravindra Chavan had sanctioned ₹80,000 for repairs, but the money was never used.
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What Happened On Sunday?
At around 12:30 pm, a resident called the police control room and reported overcrowding on the bridge. Three officials reached the spot and dispersed the crowd, but people returned after they left. Soon after, the bridge collapsed. Witnesses said the iron bridge shook for five minutes before falling, and many tourists were swept away after falling into the river. As per NDTV, officials reported that 55 people were rescued and four people died. So far, three of the deceased have been identified.
Overcrowding and recent heavy rainfall seem to be the main reasons behind the collapse. The bridge was an old, narrow structure, nearly 30 years old, and had not seen repairs or maintenance in recent years.
Cover Image Courtesy: @crpfindia/ X
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