Mahad bridge collapse: Another vehicle found in river, two bodies likely trapped inside
The wreckage of the SUV was retrieved on Sunday, a day after a state bus was also located in the Savitri River.
Indian Navy divers on Sunday found one more vehicle submerged in the Savitri River after a bridge collapsed in Mahad district on August 3. The vehicle was found a day after a second state bus was located in the water. Officials said it appeared that there were two bodies trapped inside the SUV that was found on Sunday. The wreckage was found around 300 m away from where the bridge collapsed. Search and rescue operations are still on.
More than 40 people died after the bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway collapsed because of heavy rains. So far, at least 26 bodies have been recovered, excluding the two likely to be trapped in the SUV found today. Earlier in the week, Public Works Department Minister Chandrakant Patil said that those not found within two months will be declared dead. He said that strong currents in the Savitri river, which is also full of crocodiles, were impeding rescue efforts. As a result, search operations might soon be called off.