Pune, 16 June 2025:
Four people, including a five year old boy, were killed and over fifty others were injured when an old footbridge over the Indrayani River collapsed at the well known Kundmala tourist destination in the Pune district.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 15, when more than 100 people were on the bridge many of them disregarding warning signs some of whom were even riding motorcycles across the slender iron and concrete span, the structure failed. The bridge was open even after authorities closed it to the public and declared it unsafe. Girish Mahajan, the minister of water resources for Maharashtra, stated that "a crowd of more than 100 people was beyond its carrying capacity." He acknowledged the installation of a warning sign, but it was not heeded by the visitors.
Advocate Nilesh Kolam was among the witnesses who reported a crush on the narrow structure and multiple motorcycle riders trying to cross it just before it collapsed, plunging dozens of people into the river. It collapsed quickly and catastrophically. Within fifteen minutes, rescue personnel, including the fire department, police, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), arrived. To recover victims from the water and twisted wreckage, cranes and divers were sent in.
Three of the four dead have been identified: Chandrakant Sathle, Rohit Mane, and five year old Vihan Mane. The identity of the fourth is still a mystery. Forty-two people are being treated in nearby hospitals, and eight more are critically injured. A total of 51 people were injured, according to the authorities.
A five-member inquiry committee has been established to look into the incident and find any administrative errors, and Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi confirmed that search operations are still underway. The committee has two weeks to turn in its report. Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, declared that the families of each victim who died would receive ₹5 lakh in compensation, and that the injured would receive complete medical coverage.
The Pune Zilla Parishad was in charge of the bridge when it was constructed in the 1990s. Although a new bridge had been approved, work had not yet begun. The lack of physical barricades has drawn criticism, with some pointing out that signage is insufficient to guarantee safety in busy tourist areas. The tragedy emphasizes how urgently infrastructure safety regulations need to be enforced more strictly.
