AT LEAST two people died and 32 others were injured after an iron bridge over a river collapsed on Sunday at a popular tourist destination in India’s western Maharashtra state, the state’s top elected official said.

At least six people were hospitalised in critical condition, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote on the social media platform X. 

Local media reported that scores of tourists were on the bridge when it collapsed, plunging many into the swollen river.

Mr Fadnavis said six people were rescued and that an intense search operation was ongoing as some people were swept away.

The incident occurred in the Kundamala area in Pune, which has witnessed heavy rains over the past few days, Press Trust of India reported.

Police said teams of the National Disaster Response Force and other search and recovery units have undertaken rescue operations, Press Trust said.

India’s infrastructure has long been marred by safety concerns, sometimes leading to major disasters on its highways and bridges.

In 2022, a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western state of Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging into the water and killing at least 132 in one of the worst accidents the country has seen in the past decade.