6 dead, 31 injured as foot overbridge collapses in Mumbai

Six persons were killed and 31 injured after section of a foot overbridge near a busy train station in south Mumbai collapsed during evening rush hour on Thursday, officials said.

The bridge, which connected the area near the Times of India building with the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station, was commonly called 'Kasab bridge' as the 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist passed through it during the strike.

The injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals, a disaster management cell official said.

Just after the incident, Mumbai Police had tweeted: "Foot over-bridge connecting CST platform 1 north end with B T Lane near Times of India building has collapsed. Injured persons are being shifted to hospitals. Traffic affected. Commuters to use alternate routes. Senior officers are on spot."
Several motorists were also under the bridge when it came down, which led to an increase in the number of injured, an official said. "We have appealed the motorists to avoid the D N Road to JJ Flyover section."
Faizan Ahmad, who witnessed the incident, said it appeared as if a powerful bomb went off. "The dust and cries of the victims filled us with fear and we soon realised that a bridge has fallen."
Arvind Sawant, the local Shiv Sena MP, said, "This bridge was under minor-repairing after the audit of all bridges in the city. Action will be initiated against the responsible officials."
Local BJP MLA Raj Purohit also visited the spot and demanded immediate action against the engineer who had declared the bridge as 'safe'. "He should be arrested right now. He is responsible for the entire disaster."
Local Shiv Sena corporator Sujata Sanap said she had alerted officials about the structure, but they did not act in time. "I have been pursuing the issue of this unsafe bridge for long and also wrote so many letters to officials but they were ignored."