At least four dead and 51 injured after bridge collapses in popular tourist spot

It's the latest tragedy to beset west India

The incident happened yesterday when more than 100 people were reported to be on a footbridge spanning the width of the Indrayani river in west India.

The structure is reported to have collapsed at 15:30 local time, (11:00 BST) prompting rescue efforts from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, fire brigade and other agencies using cranes to lift the collapsed iron structure.

The incident saw 51 injured with eight of them in a critical condition as reported by The Times of India.

The bridge lay in the Kundamala area of Pune district which has seen heavy rainfall in recent days.

The footbridge connecting Shelarwadi, close to the old Pune-Mumbai highway, with Kanhewadi near Indori is a vantage point or people visiting the area at this time of year to enjoy the surroundings.

State minister for water resources and disaster management Girish Mahajan wrote on X: "The patients injured in the bridge collapse accident on the Indrayani river at Kundamala in Maval taluka have been admitted to Atharva Hospital in Talegaon for treatment.

"The Chief Minister met the patients, inquired about their health and reassured them. He also interacted with the doctors treating all the injured patients to ensure that they get the best treatment. The Chief Minister of the state, Shri @Dev_Fadnavis Ji, was given a detailed information about the situation and rescue operations.

"There is a signboard warning people against standing on the bridge, but it seems everyone ignored it."

Umakant Dalvi, a survivor who was on the bridge at the time, said the bridge was so crowded there was no space for anyone to move, as reported by the Mirror.

He said: "Everyone started running towards the main road as the structure halved and collapsed."

It is the latest tragedy to beset west India in a matter of days, following the tragedy of the crashed Air India flight AI171 last Thursday (12 June) at Ahmedabad Airport.

As many as 270 people are reported to have died in that incident, on board the plane and on the ground.

The investigation continues as to what caused the plane to come down.