The Pune district administration has confirmed four deaths and 51 injuries after a 33-year-old iron bridge collapsed over the Indrayani River on Sunday. The bridge, linking nearby villages, fell around 3:30 p.m. during a monsoon outing at Kundmala in Maval tehsil, where about 125 tourists had gathered.
Officials reported that of the four deceased, three have been identified—Chandrakant Sathale, Rohit Mane, and Vihan Mane—while one remains unidentified. A total of 55 people were rescued from the site. The injured are receiving treatment at various hospitals.
Maharashtra Government Steps In With Aid
Maharashtra’s Disaster Management Minister, Girish Mahajan, supervised the relief operation with the help of local authorities. Two NDRF teams, Pimpri-Chinchwad police, CRPF personnel, and NGOs assisted. Mahajan visited Talegaon General Hospital to meet the injured.
“The government will pay ₹5 lakh to each victim’s family and cover all treatment costs,” Mahajan said. He urged tourists to avoid risky activities and refrain from hooliganism during monsoon travel.
State Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Patil and Maval MLA Sunil Shelke also visited the site. Patil stated that the bridge, built by the Pune Zilla Parishad over 30 years ago, had been declared unsafe. “Boards were placed warning people not to use it, but tourists ignored the caution,” he said.
Old, Unsafe Bridge Was Under Replacement Plan
The Pune administration said construction on the Kundmala bridge began in 1990 and it opened for public use in 1993. Officials assessed it in 2023 and declared it unsafe due to structural deterioration.
Plans to build a new bridge costing ₹8 crore are already in place. The Public Works Department has issued tenders and work orders, with construction expected to start after the monsoon.
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