At least 27 people were killed when a wooden bridge in India's north-eastern district of Darjeeling collapsed during a rally, officials said Sunday, DPA reported.
Sixty injured people were rescued from the riverbed 40 metres below in the hilly Bijanbari area near the main town of Darjeeling on Saturday evening.
"The death toll could rise as doctors say several of the injured are in a serious condition," local police chief Anand Kumar said.
Regional official Saumitra Mohan said about 150 people had gathered on the bridge to listen to speeches by local politicians.
He said troops searched for survivors overnight and moved the injured to hospitals.
Local legislator Harka Bahadur Giri said the bridge cables had snapped. The bridge was old and had been damaged during an earthquake in September, he said.
"A cultural programme was being held on one side of the bridge while a meeting was being held on the other. Too many people were standing on the bridge when it collapsed and they fell into the river below," Giri told the IANS news agency.