Father's Day outing turns tragic as man & his son die in Pune bridge collapse

Hindustan Times

a day ago

A family outing on the occasion of 'Father's Day' on Sunday, June 15, 2025 turned tragic as 32-year-old software engineer Rohit Mane and his six-year-old son Vihan were among the four who lost their lives when an old iron bridge collapsed in Pune district's Maval tehsil.
The incident occurred at around 3.30 pm in the Kundmala area where over a 100 people had gathered on the narrow bridge over the Indrayani river — a spot popular among tourists and picnickers. The collapse left 18 others, including Rohit's wife Shamika, injured. Officials said that the recent heavy rainfall led to steady flow in the river while overcrowding on the weak structure likely caused the collapse.
The Mane family, originally from Kolhapur and settled in Pune, had recently celebrated moving into a new apartment. Relatives said that Rohit, who worked with a software company, had taken Shamika and Vihan for a picnic to commemorate Father's Day. 'They had shared a social media post earlier that morning. It was supposed to be a happy day,' said a family member.
Shamika sustained severe injuries in both her legs and is undergoing surgery at Pawana Hospital. 'We received a call at around 4.30 pm about the accident. At first, we were told Shamika had been admitted to hospital. Rohit and Vihan were missing. Later, we were called to identify the two bodies,' the family member said.
Vihan had just started class 1 in a reputed school and was excited about his new books and uniform. 'The family had just begun a new chapter in their life, and now everything has collapsed along with that bridge,' said the grieving relative.
The district administration confirmed that 51 people were rescued, and 18 were admitted to hospitals across Pune. Authorities have attributed the incident to excessive crowding on the bridge despite warning signs posted at the location.
Among the other victims was 57-year-old Chandrakant Sathale, who had gone to Kundmala with his wife, son, and daughter. His brother-in-law Sandesh Ghavali said Sathale was in the middle of the bridge when it gave way, while his family members were near one end and managed to escape. 'A part of the iron structure hit his head. He couldn't survive the injuries,' said Ghavali. Sathale worked for a private company. His son had recently taken up a job, and his daughter is a student. The fourth person who lost his life was 23-year-old Chetan Chaware, originally from Belagavi in Karnataka and employed with a small firm at Chakan. He had gone to Kundmala with four friends. 'We were standing on the bridge when motorcycles also started crossing it, adding to the crowd. Suddenly, the bridge collapsed. We all fell into the river. The rest of us swam to safety, but Chetan got trapped under the metal debris,' one of his friends recounted.
Chaware's body was the last to be recovered from the river.