Mumbai: Foot overbridge collapses near CST station; 5 dead, 36 injured

Five people were killed and 36 injured after a major portion of a foot overbridge near CST railway station in south Mumbai collapsed Thursday evening.

Rescue work in progress after a foot overbridge near a train station collapsed in south Mumbai, Thursday, March 14, 2019. ANI Photo

MUMBAI: At least five people were killed and 36 injured after a foot over-bridge collapsed near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST) railway station in Mumbai. The incident took place on Thursday evening. The bridge connected the bustling CST railway station with the Azad Maidan Police Station. The bridge collapsed at around 7:30 pm, when its major portion caved in. The injured have been rushed to the St. George Hospital and Sion Hospital, said officials. Rescue teams of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, Fire Brigade, NDRF and others were rushed at the site to help the victims. An eywitness said when the bridge collapsed, there was a red light at the nearby signal, and that is why the death toll was not more. Another eyewitness said the overbridge was being used despite repairs being carried out this morning. The bridge which connected the area near the Times of India building with the iconic CSMT station was commonly known as 'Kasab bridge' after the 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist passed through it during the terror attacks. Due to the debris at the site, the peak hour traffic from south Mumbai towards Byculla and Dadar and beyond had been diverted, creating massive snarls across south Mumbai. "The footover bridge connecting CST platform 1 north end with B T Lane near Times of India building has collapsed," Mumbai police tweeted soon after the incident. "Injured persons are being shifted to hospitals. Traffic affected. Commuters to use alternate routes. Senior officers are on spot," it said. Some motorists who were passing beneath the bridge when it came down, were among those injured. "Fire brigade personnel reached the spot immediately and rescue work is in full swing. We have appealed the motorists to avoid the D N road to JJ flyover section," an official said. AIMIM MLA from Mumbai's Byculla Waris Pathan held the BMC and the state government responsible for the crash. In 2017, 23 commuters were killed in a stampede on a narrow FOB connecting WR's Elphinstone Road with Parel on Central Railway, after which the railway administration launched a multidisciplinary audit of all suburban train stations in and around Mumbai (More details awaited)