Four killed in India flyover collapse

INDIA: At least four people were killed and more were feared trapped under debris after a flyover under construction collapsed in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, media reports said.

The figures reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI) follow earlier estimates by an AFP correspondent of around 10 dead in the city, an emerging information technology hub known as India's second Silicon Valley.

So far, four bodies have been retrieved and ten injured moved to various hospitals, city commissioner of police Balwinder Singh told reporters at the scene, according to the PTI report.

Five vehicles were still trapped in the rubble, it said.

Ruling out sabotage, Singh said: "The indications are that structural problems had led to the mishap." The flyover came down after heavy rains in a busy area of Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh state.

Television pictures showed vehicles buried under fallen iron scaffolding and prefabricated cement slabs.

Rescue workers used searchlights to pull out victims.

"It was raining heavily. The bridge came down because of the rain. There were several cars under it," a witness told television crews.

Cranes and ambulances were rushed to the spot.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was "shocked and deeply grieved" by the accident.

Buildings and flyovers often collapse in India because of heavy rains or poor construction materials.

New Delhi, Monday, AFP