Seven dead, 30 feared trapped after part of flyover collapses in Varanasi

By Sudarshan Varadhan

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Seven people are dead and 30 others are feared trapped under the rubble after part of a flyover under construction in Varanasi collapsed on Tuesday, a senior police official said.

A 20-meter beam which was being fitted to the flyover collapsed, crushing vehicles and pedestrians, said the official, Amit Kumar.

Seven cranes had been sent to lift the beam and the army had been summoned, Kumar said. He said an investigation into the incident was ongoing but no arrests had been made so far.

Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is in India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh and is popular among pilgrims and tourists.

Modi said on Twitter he was "extremely saddened" by the loss of lives and had asked officials in the state to provide all possible support to those affected.

(Writing by Aditi Shah; Editing by Alison Williams and Peter Graff)