Pune, 15 June

At least two persons died and several may have been swept away after an iron bridge over Indrayani river collapsed on Sunday afternoon in Pune's Maval tehsil, officials said.

The incident took place in Kundamala area, which has been seeing heavy rains over the past few days, giving the river a steady flow, an official from Talegaon Dabhade police station said. It was not raining when the bridge collapsed, he added.

"As per preliminary information, two persons have died in the collapse, while some are feared swept away. Five to six persons have been rescued as per initial information and have been sent to hospital for check ups," he said.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and personnel from other specialised units, including the fire brigade, are at the spot, which was crowded due to it being a Sunday, the official added.

The area is heavily patronised by picnickers, the police official said.