A railway bridge being built in India has collapsed on Wednesday killing at least 26 workers and injuring two, police said, as the state-run railway authority opened an investigation.
According to authorities, the accident happened in Sairang town in the northeastern state of Mizoram.
Media reported that up to 40 workers were at the site when the bridge collapsed but police said 28 workers were present.
“So far, rescue personnel have been able to recover 13 bodies. The search for the remaining bodies is ongoing, according to a state police officer who declined to be identified.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said in a statement on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter that the mishap occurred during work on the Bhairbi-Sairang New Line Railway Project.
The NRF said on its website the project will connect Mizoram to the rest of the country, boosting “tourism and socio-economic development”.
A “high level enquiry committee” had been set up to investigate, the NFR said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement “all possible assistance” was being given to those affected.
India’s extensive railway system is used by many millions of people every day.
The government has launched high-speed trains as part of plans to modernize the network, but critics say it has not focused enough on safety and upgrading ageing infrastructure.
At least 288 people were killed in June in India’s worst rail crash in more than two decades. It was blamed on signal failure.
