At least 18 people were killed and many were feared trapped under the debris when a portion of an under-construction flyover near the railway station in Varanasi collapsed, media reports said.

Eighteen bodies have been recovered from the Varanasi flyover collapse site, a PTI report quoted UP Relief Commissioner Sanjay Kumar as saying.

“It is feared that several people are buried under the rubble,” an official reportedly said, adding rescue teams were at spot to rescue those trapped.

Some vehicles, including a bus, were crushed in the collapse, they said. At least three persons had been rescued, a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) official was quoted as saying.

The Uttar Pradesh Bridge Construction Corporation was constructing the 2261-metre-long bridge at a cost of Rs 129 crore, officials said. The span which fell today was laid barely three months ago, they added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya rushed to the spot, an official spokesperson reportedly said.

Meanwhile, the opposition targeted the state government over the tragedy in the “top-priority constituency of the country”.

Chief Minister Adityanath set up a three-member committee to probe the flyover collapse. Adityanath also announced a Rs5 lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs two lakh to the seriously injured, an official reportedly said.

The chief minister also directed the district administration and PWD officials to take all necessary steps for relief and rescue operations.