A part of the foot-over bridge connecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station and Times of India building in Mumbai has collapsed.
According to an ANI report, at least five people are dead and about 36 injured in the incident.
The injured have been moved to GT, St. George and Sion hospitals.
Many are still fear trapped in the debris.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is reportedly on the spot to assist with the relief work.
: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)Commissioner Ajoy Mehta has orderedVigilance Department to submit a preliminary report on the accident within 24 hours, identifying the Municipal staff responsible for it and the role of the structural auditor for this incident. (ANI)
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the accident site earlier today. Traffic near the bridge, which is also known as the 'Himalaya bridge', has been halted today.
CM Fadnavis met those injured in the collapse and said, "There are around 10 injured admitted in the ward, one in ICU; all out of danger now. A high-level inquiry will be done to probe into the matter. FIR has been lodged." (Indian Express)
#TheBridge was barely 35 years old, average life of a bridge is 60- years
#Damaged FOBs repaired by railways not BMC
#BMC gave 117 crore to railways
– CNN News18
#Traffic is being closed on both bounds between CST junction and JJ flyover.
#Commuters are advised to use the Mahapalika Marg from CST to metro junction and ahead towards Princess Street Flyover/ Crawford Market/ Chakala and Mohammed Ali road.
#Commuters coming from JJ flyover may take a right turn towards Crawford Market/ metro junction/ CST and ahead or take a left turn at Nesbit junction and move further to PD Mellow road/Avatar Singh Bedi Chowk to CST/ Lion Gate, Regal Junction
Somebody has to be held responsible for the incident. It is sad that the BMC and Railways are shifting blames on each other. The top brass, including the Prime Minister, need to take responsibility. This negligence is equivalent to murder.
Nirupam : The administration of the BMC is in shambles. The infrastructure of the city is falling party. Both the BMC and the Railways are equally responsible for this. The BJP and the Shiv Senashould apologise to the people of Mumbai. Both the BJP and the Shiv Sena are busy fighting over posts at the expense of the city's repair.
HELPLINE NUMBER for St George Hospital, Mumbai: 022-22620242
The BMC had ordered a structural audit of the bridge which stated that only minor repairs were needed. The accountability should be fixed. Those who carried out the audit should be booked under Section 302.
Investigation into the incident will be carried out by the BMC and the Railway Ministry. The Maharashtra government will take care of medical treatment of those injured.
Colaba BJP MLA Raj Purohit is at the accident spot. He blamed the BMC for the incident. “The BMC is responsible for this accident. Tomorrow, they will issue a statement saying all bridges will be surveyed and audited. The engineer who was undertaking this work should face an inquiry and be punished,” he said.
Entry to the FOB has now been blocked as Mumbai police grapple in trying to control the crowd. The bridge had gained infamy after terrorist Ajmal Kasab passed through the structure during the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Many locals refer to the structure as 'Kasab bridge', Indian Express reported.
After the July 2018 Gokhale bridge collapse in Andheri, the BMC had carried out a structural audit of 296 bridges. The audit had revealed that 18 bridges needed demolition and reconstruction (10 major bridges and 8 foot overbridges). However, according to the officials, this FOB was not on the danger list. The audit of the bridge stated it required only minor repairs.
