At least 15 killed as cars plumet from collapsed bridge as search operation underway

The incident happen in west India

The incident happened in the western state of Gujarat when a portion of the Gambhira-Mujpur bridge collapsed following heavy monsoon rains in recent days.

Many locals say that the 40-year-old bridge was already in a worn condition and claimed that request for repairs had been ignored, as reported by the Independent.

One entire slab of concrete collapsed between two piers.

Four vehicles were on the bridge when it collapsed, including two trucks, an SUV and a pickup van.

Another truck was left hanging off the other end of the bridge.

Vadodara district collector Anil Dhameliya told the Indian Express: "There were two motorcycles on the bridge at the time as well, but so far, we have no confirmation whether they also plunged into the river. We are yet to ascertain the identities of the people as we are focusing on the rescue work."

The official claimed that the bridge underwent repairs last year.

Gujarat's health minister, Rushikesh Patel, said at least five people were rescued and rushed to hospital.

National and state rescue teams, along with the fire brigade, have been working to rescue as many from the scene.

State chief minister Bhupendra Patel said that "the Road and Building Department has been ordered to conduct an immediate investigation into this accident".

The bridge has now been cordoned off to prevent further incident.

Prime minister Narendra Modi, who previously served as the state chief of Gujarat, was "deeply saddening" by the incident and offered condolences to those who died.

The families will receive Rs200,000 (£1,700) for each of the deceased.

This latest incident comes after another bridge collapsed at a hotspot for tourism in the district of Pune only a few weeks ago.