Sudesh Shetty, the lease holder at Malpe beach and proprietor of Dial Mantra, dismissed allegations that the state's only floating bridge had collapsed, saying that the bridge's locks had been disconnected to avoid damage.
He said, “Due to cyclone effect and heavy wind, we had disconnected the locks of the bridge so that the floating bridge does not incur any damage. Because of which some of the blocks of the bridge were floating in the sea this morning.”
“We have understood that people have fallen for the rumour saying there were casualties. We strongly confirm that there were no casualties nor harm to anyone. Currently, the floating bridge remains closed because of the notice from the administration regarding no water sports activities,” he added.
According to an earlier report, the bridge fell here barely three days after its inauguration. Due to the heavy seas and high waves, the bridge was seriously damaged. As a result, the public was prohibited from walking on it as early as Sunday afternoon. The bridge swept away into the sea early on Monday morning. Fortunately, no one was killed since access was restricted.