5 dead, 34 injured as 'Kasab bridge' in south Mumbai collapses
At least five people were killed and 34 others injured when a portion of a pedestrian bridge crashed near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) here on Thursday evening.
By : migrator
Update: 2019-03-14 16:43 GMT
Mumbai
The bridge which connected the area near the Times of India building with the iconic CSMT station was commonly known as 'Kasab bridge' as the 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist passed through it during the terror strike.
All the injured have been rushed to nearby hospitals, a disaster management cell official said.
An eyewitness said when the bridge collapsed, there was a red light at the nearby signal, and that is why the death toll was not more.
The victims included three women. Two of the women were identified as Apoorva Prabhu, 35, and Ranjana Tambe, 40, while the third was unidentified.
Another eyewitness said the overbridge was being used despite repairs being carried out this morning.
The incident took place around 7.30 pm when a major portion of the bridge caved in, the official said.
"Foot over bridge connecting CST platform 1 north end with B T Lane near Times of India building has collapsed. Injured persons are being shifted to hospitals. Traffic affected. Commuters to use alternate routes. Senior officers are on spot", Mumbai Police said in a tweet.
Some motorists who were passing beneath the bridge when it came down, were among those injured, he added.
"Fire brigade personnel reached the spot immediately and rescue work is in full swing. We have appealed the motorists to avoid the D N road to JJ flyover section," he said.
The incident occurred as the bridge was reportedly overloaded with commuters hurrying to their homes, said the BMC Disaster Control Room.
This is the third major foot over bridge tragedy in Mumbai in the past 18 months.
A foot over bridge at the Elphinstone Road railway station crashed on September 29, 2017, killing 29 commuters.
The second occurred on July 3, 2018 when a portion of the foot over bridge crashed on the railway tracks near Andheri station, killed at least one and injuring many more.
After the two previous tragedies, the BMC, the Railways and other agencies had carried out a survey of all new and old railway bridges, flyovers, and foot over bridges, to ascertain any dangers and take preventive measures.
Officials claimed that the bridge that crashed on Thursday was found to be sturdy and only needing a few minor repairs.
Politicians from several parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena, the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and others rushed to the site and activists helped in the rescue operations.
(With inputs from IANS)
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