2 killed and 32 injured after a bridge collapses at a tourist destination in western India

NEW DELHI (AP) — At least two people died and 32 others were injured after an iron bridge over a river collapsed on Sunday at a popular tourist destination in India’s western Maharashtra state, the state’s top elected official said.

At least six people were hospitalized in critical condition, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote on the social media platform X. Local media reported that scores of tourists were on the bridge when it collapsed, plunging many into the swollen river.

Fadnavis said six people were rescued and that an intense search operation was ongoing as some people were swept away.

The incident occurred in Kundamala area in Pune district, which has witnessed heavy rains over the past few days, giving the river a steady flow, Press Trust of India reported.

It was not raining when the bridge collapsed in an area frequented by picnickers, the news agency reported.

Police said teams of the National Disaster Response Force and other search and recovery units have undertaken rescue operations, Press Trust said.

India’s infrastructure has long been marred by safety concerns, sometimes leading to major disasters on its highways and bridges.

In 2022, a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western state of Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging into the water and killing at least 132 in one of the worst accidents in the country in the past decade.