Four days into the search operation after the Mahad bridge tragedy, four more bodies were recovered from the Savitri river on Saturday, taking the toll up to 26. Two state transport (ST) buses and some private vehicles were swept away after a British-era bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway collapsed on Tuesday.
"Four more bodies, all men, were found at different locations in the river. The toll has now gone up to 26," said a Raigad district official said.
"Besides this, a part of a Tavera car along with a part of the ST bus was recovered from the river. Of the 22 identified victims, 10 were in the Rajapur-Borivili bus while seven were travelling in the Jaigad-Mumbai bus, both belonging to the Maharashtra State Transport Corporation. A fresh search operation involving multiple agencies and local divers was launched this morning," he said. Twenty boats and nearly 160 personnel from the Coast Guard, NDRF and Navy were deployed in the search operation. The district administration was also taking help of the local fishermen.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the government will give Rs5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. The government has also announced that the relatives of the deceased staff members of the two state-run buses would either be given a job or compensation of Rs10 lakh each.
The bridge was located on the Mumbai-Goa highway near Mahad, about 170km from Mumbai. The river, which turned into a torrent due to the heavy downpour in Mahabaleshwar, weakened the foundations of the bridge, which ultimately gave way on Tuesday night.
