The wreckage of the two state buses that were swept away after a colonial-era bridge collapsed in Mahad on August 3 were found on Thursday. A defence spokesperson said divers of the Indian Navy had located them. "After a long search and working for 12-14 hours daily for the past eight days, naval teams have located two wreckages (sic)..." the official said, according to the Hindustan Times.

The buses were located between 170 and 200 metres away from the bridge. They were found under 4 to 6 metres of water. At least 42 people are believed to have died in the incident, while they were travelling along the Mumbai-Goa route. A total of 26 bodies have been recovered from the waters of Savitri River so far. The Indian Navy, Coast Guard and National Disaster Response Force had all been deployed to carry out search and rescue operations.

Public Works Department Minister Chandrakant Patil had said on Wednesday that those who are not found within two months will be declared dead. He added that the strong currents in the Savitri River, which is full of crocodiles, were impeding rescue efforts, The Indian Express reported. As a result, the NDRD and Navy are likely to call off their operations soon.