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.
UPDATE
: 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)
CM Devendra Fadnavis visits the collapse site
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)
RTI documents reveal no major repairs were suggested for the bridge
#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 advisory in view of the collapse of the FOB near the Times of India building.
#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
Former Maharashtra chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan:
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.
President of Congress Mumbai Unit Sanjay
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.
Update: The death toll has risen to five.
PLEASE NOTE
HELPLINE NUMBER for St George Hospital, Mumbai: 022-22620242
Congress leader Milind Deora:
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.
State Education Minister Vinod Tawde:
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.
BJP MLA blames BMC for incident
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 CST FOB has now been blocked
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.
Audit of bridge said it required only minor repairs: Report
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.
PLEASE NOTE
BMC DISASTER MANAGEMENT NUMBER: 9833806409
Mumbai Bridge Update
ST GEORGE HOSPITAL: INJURED 17 + DEAD 2
G T HOSPITAL: INJURED 11 + DEAD 2
Update:
Death toll has risen to 4. Two women among victims of bridge collapse.
Update:
A 45-member team has been rushed to bridge collapse site in Mumbai, says NDRF.
An eyewitness:
There were more than 20 people on the bridge when it collapsed.
Ministry of Railways issues statement
In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said, "The bridge was of BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation). However, we are extending all our support to the victims. Railway doctors & personnel are cooperating with BMC in relief & rescue operations."
Shiv Sena spokesperson and MP from South Mumbai Arvind Sawant:
A part of the FOB collapsed due to a minor defect.
UPDATE:
Death toll rises to 3 in the Mumbai bridge collapse incident. 34 people are injured in the incident. The death toll is likely to rise, ANI reported.
An image showing the portion of the collapsed FOB.
Update:
One team from Regional Response Center (RRC) Mumbai has been rushed to the spot,NDRF stated.
Debris being cleared from the site of the accident.
An image showing the portion of the bridge collapsed
A huge crowd gatheredat the site of the accident.
Update:
Many feared trapped under debris. No official count yet.
Mumbai Police on FOB collapse:
23 people injured, have been shifted to hospital.
Update:
Traffic is being diverted. Please avoid JJ flyover, Fort, Crawford Market. Traffic has come to a standstill.
JUST IN:
Some unconfirmed reports are suggesting casualties. Police officials, ambulances on the spot. Traffic diverted.
10 to 12 people have been injured in the bridge collapse, CNN News 18 has reported.
The bridge collapsed at around7:30pm. TOIemployees reported hearing a loud bang.
The footoverbridge is often referredto as the Kasab bridge.
Image: Rohit Paul
Mumbai: CST footover bridge connecting CST station to Azad Maidan Police Station, has crashed just now. Many casualties expected.
