At least 15 persons were killed and 10 others injured when a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed near the busy commercial area of Punjagutta in Hyderabad on Sunday evening.

The injured were extracted from the debris and shifted to NIMS and Apollo hospitals [Get Quote], police said. Some autorickshaws and cars were also mangled in the mishap.

The flyover passes through the Begumpet area close to the official camp office of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

The traffic was jammed on the roads leading to accident spot and even ambulances were stuck in the traffic resulting in delay in shifting of injured to hospitals.

Rescue operations were also hampered as the cranes to remove the debris reached late due to traffic jam.

The flyover, which was being constructed with sophisticated construction technology of pre-stressed concrete moulds since September 2005, was due to be inaugurated in December this year. It is said that the weak stilts supporting the 11 km-long flyover gave away in the aftermath of the heavy rainfall that lashed the area for over 2 hours on Sunday.

Image: Vehicles trapped under the debris.
Photograph: SnapsIndia