At least 17 workers were killed today when an under-construction railway bridge over a river collapsed near Sairang area of the north-eastern Indian state of Mizoram, a police official said.
"Several others are feared trapped at the site as 35-40 workers were present there around 10:00am when the incident took place about 21-km off Aizawl," he said.
The official said 17 bodies have been recovered from the debris so far and many others have been missing, Indian media outlets reported quoting the official.
The bridge that collapsed was part of an Indian Railways project to connect all state capitals in the northeast region. It has been under construction for some years.
"We are yet to ascertain the reason for the accident and how many people were actually there when the bridge collapsed," Sabyasachi De, chief public relations officer of Northeast Frontier Railway, said.
The bridge, located between Bairabi and Sairang railway stations, was being constructed over the Kurung river.
Sairang railway station is set to be the last railhead before reaching Mizoram's capital Aizawl. Once completed, the project will connect Aizawl with the national railway network.
