Indian Navy divers on Sunday recovered two more bodies from Savitri river in Raigad district after a British-era bridge in Mahad collapsed due to floods.
A Tavera SUV was also located inside the river with several bodies found to be stuck inside it.
“There is a likelihood of several bodies still trapped in a mangled car inside the river. They will recovered once the car is pulled out of the river,” Indian Navy officials said.
Efforts are on to retrieve the vehicle and the bodies, state disaster management cell director Suhas Diwase said, adding the total number of missing persons now stands at 12. A Defence PRO said the extrication of the wreckage will be done jointly by Navy divers and the National Disaster Response Force.
“Continuing the day 11 of the search in Savitri river, the Indian Navy divers located one more wreckage, assessed to be a Tavera SUV vehicle number is MH04 GD7837. There is a likelihood of two bodies inside the vehicle. The wreckage was found 300 metres from the damaged bridge, in 4 to 5 meters of water. NDRF and district administration have been informed,” a statement issued by the Defence authorities said. Naval divers had yesterday located the wreckage of the second MSRTC bus, which was washed away in the turbulent Savitri River near Mahad after the British-era bridge collapsed on August 2. No bodies were found in the bus.
The bridge was to be dismantled in December this year as part of the Mumbai-Goa Highway expansion project. On Thursday, the wreckage of a Rajapur-Borivali MSRTC bus was retrieved about 170-200 meters from the collapsed bridge site. The Indian Navy team, comprising personnel specialising in diving, is searching for survivors since the morning of August 4, braving high water current and crocodiles in the river.
So far, 26 bodies have been recovered after two state transport buses and some other vehicles fell in the swollen river following the bridge collapse on Mumbai-Goa Highway near Mahad, about 170 kms from Mumbai. The state Cabinet, in this particular case, has already reduced the waiting period for granting compensation to the kin of those missing to two months (from seven years as per existing rules).
