India's Mizoram bridge collapse death toll rises to 26

NEW DELHI, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in the railway bridge collapse incident in India's northeastern state of Mizoram rose to 26 on Wednesday, confirmed a police cop over the phone.

The under-construction bridge had collapsed in the Sairang town of Manipur, around 21 km northwest of the state capital Aizawl.

"As many as 19 dead bodies have been recovered, and the rescue work to retrieve the rest of the dead bodies will resume on Thursday," added the cop.

He said all the dead were laborers who were working at the site.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga expressed grief over the deaths and extended sympathy to the families of the victims.

The cause of the bridge collapse could not be immediately known.

Meanwhile, the country's Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ordered a probe into the incident and announced compensation for the victims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his anguish over the incident in a message from Johannesburg during the BRICS Summit.