Nearly two dozen people are missing after one of two major bridges connecting the Indian cities of Mumbai and Goa collapsed over the swollen Savitri River.
The bridge gave way at about 2 a.m. local time on Wednesday, said Rakesh Ranjan, Deputy Commandant of the National Disaster Response Force and Civil Defence (NDRF), sending two buses into flood waters below.
The state passenger buses were carrying 22 people — 18 passengers, two conductors and two drivers.
High pressure from the flooding of Savitri River caused the collapse, Chief Minister of Maharashtra state Devandra Fadnavis said in a video statement on Facebook. The single-lane bridge was built in British-era colonial times.
A rescue effort is underway with four NDRF teams, navy helicopters, boats and divers at the scene.
Fadnavis said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “assured all help from the central government,” and right now a desperate attempt is being made to locate the buses that have gone into the river.”
A newer bridge, which runs parallel to the collapsed road, has resumed traffic, Fadnavis said on Twitter, citing a Raigad district official.
India has been hit by severe flooding in the past few days which has taken the lives of 163 and affected as many as 7.78 million, according to the NDRF.