‘The bridge just snapped beneath us’: A chilling account of Kundmala Bridge collapse
Sitting on a hospital bed, Amol Ghule, still shaken and wrapped in a blanket, recounted the horrifying moment.
What began as a peaceful monsoon outing for dozens of tourists turned into a terrifying experience when the iron footover bridge over the Indrayani River at Kundmala collapsed around 3:30 PM on Sunday.
Sitting on a hospital bed, Amol Ghule, still shaken and wrapped in a blanket, recounted the horrifying moment. He was injured and was present on the bridge at the time of the incident. He claimed that due to overcrowding, the bridge started shaking, but even after that, no one was ready to vacate the bridge.
“A large number of tourists were present on the bridge at the time of the incident. The bridge was broken in the middle and collapsed. Somehow, I managed to save myself and get out of the water. Then my friend came to rescue me and brought me to the hospital.”
Ghule is currently admitted to the general ward of the Pavana Hospital.
Mahesh Mane, another injured person, who was admitted to Talegaon General Hospital, claimed that at least eight to nine vehicles were also present on the bridge.
“Initially, a loud sound was heard. Within a second, the bridge collapsed into the river. Somehow, I grabbed part of the structure and saved myself by hanging onto it. But I saw three people were swept away in the river water.”
The old iron bridge, built in 1992, was a key connector between Shelarwadi and Indori village. Locals had raised concerns about its weakening structure over the years. The bridge was constructed by the PWD. The length of the bridge is 100 meters long and 3.5 meters wide and had a total of nine cement columns and an iron structure on the top.
District officials confirmed that four people have died and three are still missing. At least 32 people were injured—Four of them critically—and have been admitted to Pavana, MIMER, and Atharva hospitals near Somatane Phata.
Prasad Bhegade, a local resident who helped in the rescue operation, said, “We have been here since morning and due to the holiday, there were a massive number of visitors at this location. The vehicles of the visitors queued till the Bhegadewadi station. The cops and even the locals tried to shoo away the crowd. However, the number of visitors was so massive that it was beyond the control of the cops,” he said.
He further said, “During the incidents, there was a large number of people on the bridge and people were busy taking videos and clicking pictures. Three people were washed away after the incident, of which two were rescued by the villagers and the third victim, a woman herself, managed to swim and get out of the water but sustained injuries to her hand,” Bhegade added.
Search operations in the river are ongoing with the help of NDRF, Apda Mitra, PMRDA fire brigade, and local volunteers.
Jitendra Dudi, Pune district collector, said, “The bridge was not declared unsafe, but its structural audit was not conducted. We have established a committee to investigate whether there were any administrative lapses. The committee will also check if there is a need to come up with revised SOPs required, considering such incidents occurring at the tourist locations.”
