17 die in India bridge collapse

KOTA, India, (AFP) - Rescuers were battling Friday to rescue dozens of workers trapped under a collapsed bridge in western Indian state of Rajasthan, killing 17, officials said.
Fourteen critically injured labourers have been hospitalised.
We can see bodies crushed below the giant bridge and some are seen floating on the water but it is tough to pull them out, chief fire officer at the accident site Sanjay Sharma told AFP.
At least 30 labourers are feared trapped or drowned in the accident that happened late Thursday when the bridge under construction over the Chambal river collapsed on the outskirts of Kota city in southern Rajasthan.
About half of the bridge was partially submerged in the crocodile infested river, making it impossible for naval divers to conduct search operations.
We are using underwater body search cameras but are unable to fish the bodies, fearing crocodile attacks, he said.
Rescue teams have found 17 bodies and were waiting for the gas cutters to cut the iron rods of the collapsed bridge.
The chances of finding survivors look bleak as cutting the iron rods could take over 24 hours, Sharma said.
Local authorities said the bridge was being jointly constructed by South Koreas Hyundai Engineering and Gammon India since 2007.
A police case has been registered against the two companies for negligence, said senior police official Rajiv Dasot.
Two engineers working on the project have been detained by the police.
The government has launched an inquiry into the accident and announced a compensation of $20,000 for each victims family.
Deadly construction site accidents are relatively common in India, where health and safety rules are routinely flouted.
No accurate up-to-date figures exist for the number of occupational accidents and deaths in India, but the UNs International Labour Organisation has estimated that 50,000 people die here each year from work-related causes.