At least 30 army soldiers, including two engineers, were feared to have been washed away in swirling waters of river Sutlej at Pooh, about 220 km from Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh in north India.

The accident occurred when a bridge they were erecting on the river collapsed Thursday afternoon, an Indian Army spokesperson told Xinhua.

Five persons have been rescued, the spokesperson said, adding that helicopters have been pressed into service in the rescue operation.

According to the spokesperson, the incident took place around 1 p.m. local time when these Army personnel had gone to erect a bridge on river Sutlej in Pooh, which had been washed away in the recent flash floods.

Source: Xinhua