Goa cable bridge collapses; 40 tourists rescued from Dudhsagar waterfall

Panaji, Oct 15: Over 40 tourists were rescued from the Dudhsagar waterfalls in South Goa after a cable bridge on the Mandovi river got washed away due to a sudden rise in the water level following heavy rains, according to an official statement.

The incident took place on Friday evening due to the heavy rains along the Goa-Karnataka border. Following the bridge collapse, 40 visitors were stranded and assisted by the 'Drishti lifesavers' who shifted them to safe places.

The visitors could not cross the river through the gushing waters on their own in the absence of the bridge after which the state-appointed lifeguards evacuated them, news agency PTI reported citing an official statement.

CM Sawant congratulated the lifesaving agency for rescuing the tourists.

Taking to micro-blogging Twitter, he wrote, ''The River Lifesavers rescued around 40 guests stuck at Dudhsagar waterfall due to turning of crossing bridge where water level increased due to heavy rainfall. I thank and congratulate the River lifesavers for rescuing the tourists.''

The picturesque Dudhsagar waterfall, situated on the Goa-Karnataka border, attracts a large number of tourists. Visit to this waterfall was stopped at the start of the monsoon season, but it was opened for tourists earlier this week.

Meanwhile, IMD has predicted isolated heavy rainfall in north and south of Karnataka from 14 October to 17 October. As per Karnataka CM Bommai, 13 deaths and large-scale destruction to livestock and properties in different parts of rain-battered Karnataka have been reported since the beginning of October.