While a road overbridge collapsed in Andheri, a BEST double-decker bus rammed into an overhead railing in Santacruz.
As if incessant rains for the past couple of days weren't enough to trouble the Mumbaikars, Tuesday (July 3) brought in more sufferings for residents of the 'maximum city'. The day began with the news of a bridge collapse at Andheri West sending authorities into a tizzy as they feared the worst in what was initially believed to be a re-run of last September's Elphinstone bridge tragedy in which 22 people were killed and several others injured.
A part of road over-bridge (ROB) collapsed on rail tracks in suburban Andheri at about 7.30 am bringing the local train services of Western Railway to a grinding halt. At least five people were injured in the incident. Heavy overnight rains is suspected to be the cause of the crash of the structure on SV Road, which connects Andheri East and Andheri West.
Andheri bridge collapse: All that happened
Lakhs of office goers were affected as the debris of the dilapidated bridge fell of rail tracks. Several teams of Mumbai Fire Brigade, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local police rushed to the spot to assist in rescue work which was continuing till the filing of this report. Stuck passengers were seen walking on water-logged rail tracks to reach their destination.
Luckily, no train was passing from the route when a part of Gokhale overbridge caved in. "Incessant rains apparently caused cracks in the ROB, resulting in its collapse. Thankfully, no train was passing on the track under the bridge at that time," Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Ravinder Bhakar.
Two of the injured men pulled out of overbridge rubble. (Photo/PTI)
Mumbai's famous tiffin carriers Dabbawalas expressed their inability to operate as the train services on the Western Line were stopped.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked the Mumbai police commissioner to ensure smooth traffic movement and asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to increase its bus service for the convenience of commuters.
Rail Minister Piyush Goyal said a probe to be conducted by Commissioner of Rail Safety has been ordered into the incident.
"Part of Road Over Bridge has fallen on tracks near Andheri Station impacting rail traffic. Directed officials to speed up repair work and rapidly restore traffic in close coordination with other departments. I have also ordered an enquiry by Commissioner of Rail Safety," Goyal said in his tweet.
Heavy rains add to trouble
Mumbai, country's financial capital, has been receiving heavy rains since past couple of days and the situation worsened on Tuesday with reports of waterlogging being received from several parts of the city.
Waterlogging was reported from areas like Sion, Powai and Kandivli. With the weather department predicting more intermittent rains for Tuesday and Wednesday, Mumbai residents are in for more trouble for at least 48 hours more.
A few flights were also diverted from Mumbai to nearby airports due to the bad weather.
A Mumbai airport spokesperson said no flight was cancelled, but four flights were diverted to nearby airports. Private carriers Vistara, GoAir and Jet Airways said they will accommodate passengers who were late due to traffic congestion because of the road over-bridge collapse in suburban Andheri.
BEST bus rams into overhead railing
A BEST double-decker bus crashed into an overhead railing near Kalina University in Mumbai's Santacruz area resulting in massive traffic jam in the area. | READ
The double-decker bus was heading to Santacruz's Kalina area from Bandra. No one was injured in the accident.
Fire at Mira Road railway station
A fire broke out at reservation counter of Mira Road railway station panicking commuters present there. The blaze was brought under control in time which prevented further damage to life or property.
WATCH: Overbridge collapses in Mumbai's Andheri
