Indian Navy played a very important role in the search and rescue mission after the footbridge over river Zuari in Curchorem collapsed on Thursday evening. Soon after the Indian Navy received information about the incident and possibility of many people missing, the naval head quarters in Goa prepared plan of action and kept their rescue aircrafts as well as divers team on standby with two teams of divers immediately leaving to the site to assist state administration in the search and rescue mission.
According to information by Indian Navy, they received information about the tragedy in the evening and without any delay they started implementing a plan of action. “In the evening we got the news about the tragedy from the district collector South who sought help from Indian navy. The navy officials in Goa reacted swiftly and all their rescue aircrafts were put on standby,” a naval officer said.
“The diving operations started soon after naval divers’ team reached the site in the late evening. Initially with the help of special crane, the state administration took out the collapsed and submerged portion of Foot Bridge. Thereafter at about 2.15 am navy divers managed to locate and recover a body (second) 10 metres ahead of the incident site and the body was then handed over to civil administration.”
He further said that “Also there were inputs that crocodiles were known to be present in the area, navy took all precautions and deployed additional boats for patrolling around the search and rescue area.”
“At around 3.30 am the district collector then requested to halt operations and at about 6 am diving operations started again.”
