Over two dozen workers killed in Indian railway bridge collapse

A construction platform at a railroad bridge being built in India's Mizoram state collapsed, killing at least 26 workers and injuring two others, an official said.

The gantry collapsed at a bridge in Sairang, a town on the outskirts of the capital Aizawal on Wednesday, according to the police control room. The bridge has been under construction for nearly two years.

State Transport Minister TJ Lalnuntluanga, who is at the site, said 18 bodies have been recovered while eight other bodies have been located and are being pulled out of the debris by rescuers.

"Under construction railway over bridge at Sairang near Aizawl collapsed today, at least 15 workers died," Mizoram chief minister Zoramthang, who uses only one name, said initially on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Video footage posted by Zoramthanga showed a metal frame that had toppled off towering columns into a wooded valley below.

People living nearby rescued injured workers and rushed them to hospital, police said. Rescuers from the government-run National Disaster Response Force also rushed to the scene to search for survivors.

Railroad authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse. There were 40 workers at the site when the accident happened, the police said.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is attending the BRICS summit in South Africa, said he was pained by the crash in Mizoram state.

"Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being given to those affected," he tweeted.

Mizoram is in the far east of India, bordering Myanmar.

People had "come out in large numbers to help with rescue", Zoramthanga said, adding he was "deeply saddened and affected by this tragedy".

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

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