9 injured as bridge collapses in India

Police on Tuesday said that nine people were injured seriously on Tuesday as a bridge over a railway track collapsed in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata.

Nine of them suffered serious injuries, an official at the Kolkata police control room said.

The bridge in the Majherhat area of Kolkata is said to be over 40 years old, NDTV news channel reported.

There were several vehicles travelling on it when it collapsed.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force were helping to clear the debris and look for people who may be trapped below, police said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the priority was to rescue all injured and trapped people.

Collapses of old and ageing structures are not uncommon in India.

At least 15 people were killed when a flyover under construction collapsed in Kolkata in 2016.