At least 24 bodies have been found in the Savitri river in Maharashtra, rescue officials said on Saturday, as efforts continued to find all those who went missing when a British-era bridge collapsed in Mahad, Maharashtra, earlier in the week. A Raigad district official told PTI that they had found two bodies in the morning, both of men, one near Mhapral bridge and another in Amber creek. A fresh set of search operations began on Saturday morning, the official said.

The nearly hundred-year-old bridge collapsed in the midst of heavy rain late Tuesday night, sending two state buses and several vehicles into the fast-flowing Savitri river. Dozens of people were reported missing. The state and central government sent in personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, Army, Navy and even and Air Force chopper to help search for the victims. The local administration also used a large crane requisitioned from the National Highways Authority of India and a 300 kg magnet for the rescue operations.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those killed in the mishap.