Stranded Due To Bridge Collapse, Tourists Rescued From Dudhsagar Waterfall In Goa

Forty tourists, who were stranded near the Dudhsagar waterfall in South Goa after a bridge collapse, have been rescued.

New Delhi: A small bridge on the Mandovi river got washed away due to a sudden rise in the water level following heavy rain, leaving at least 40 tourists stranded near the Dudhsagar waterfall in South Goa, on Friday. They were rescued by the state-appointed lifeguards, officials said on Saturday according to PTI. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant lauded the lifeguards for the rescue operation.

A senior police official told PTI that the tourists couldn't cross the river through the gushing water due to the absence of the bridge, they were evacuated by lifeguards.

CM Sawant congratulated the lifesaving agency for rescuing the tourists.

In a tweet, he said, "The River Lifesavers rescued around 40 guests stuck at Dudhsagar waterfall due to turning of crossing bridge where water level increased due to heavy rainfall. I thank and congratulate the River lifesavers for rescuing the tourists."

Maharashtra also experienced heavy rainfall, in Mumbai as many as eight flights were diverted at the city's airport on Friday due to heavy rains and low visibility conditions. Owing to inclement weather due to extreme downpours of rain and low visibility, it pro-actively informed all passengers of flight reschedules and provided refreshments for the flyers waiting to board, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) said in a statement. It further asked passengers to check their flight status with their respective airlines. PTI reported.  

Several parts of Mumbai, especially eastern Mumbai received heavy rainfall on Friday evening, and areas in eastern suburbs received up to 62 mm of rainfall, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. 

Similarly, Pune city was lashed by heavy downpours, the Shivajinagar area received little over 74 mm of rainfall between 4 pm and 6 pm, the Indian Meteorological Department said, PTI reported. 

Meanwhile, IMD warned, on Saturday, that there might be heavy rainfall in the Southern and Western parts of Telangana for the next three days. The weather forecast for Telangana is likely to be light to moderate rainfall, as well as a thunderstorm along with lightning. There will be moderate rainfall in the entire Telangana state for three days.

"Presently, we are in the withdrawal phase from Rajasthan and it will be going towards central India. So we are expecting rain from the northern parts of Telangana", ANI quoted a senior scientist. 

The national capital witnessed a clear sky with air quality recorded in the moderate category on Friday, even as the city's air quality is likely to deteriorate to the poor category in the next few days. The Central Pollution Control Board's 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin showed that Delhi's air quality was in the moderate category at 154. 

The air quality is likely to be in the poor category on Sunday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. It is likely to remain in the poor to a moderate category on October 17. It is likely to remain largely in the moderate to poor category in the subsequent six-day.