Maharashtra Bridge collapse: Naval team locate wreckage of two buses

​MAHAD: Navy divers confronted crocodiles and strong currents to locate the wreckage of two buses that fell into a river after a century-old bridge collapsed on the Mumbai-Goa highway.

"After working 12-14 hours a day for the last eight days, the naval teams have located wreckage of the two buses submerged in water at Mahad," said a defence spokesperson.

The divers, according to the statement, searched relentlessly "despite the presence of crocodiles, high current, tough conditions in the river."

The buses had fallen into the swollen river with 22 people when the British-built bridge collapsed on August 2, weakened by incessant rain. Their remains have been found around 200 metres from the site where the bridge collapsed.

Some cars are also believed to have fallen into the river.

Navy and Coast Guard teams have scanned the waters along the 130 km length of the river.

A disaster management team and a crane will help pull the buses out of the river.

Divers have found 28 bodies and 16 people are missing.

"The (disaster) teams are being informed and crane for recovery of the wreckage is being requested," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The British-era bridge was to be dismantled this December as part of a highway expansion project, said the Maharashtra government yesterday. Maharashtra was accused of ignoring a warning from UK that the bridge is old and dangerous.

State minister Chandrakant Patil says there are about 2,300 bridges in the state and around 100 were built either in the British era or even further back, in the 17th century.