Twelve people are feared killed after a flyover under construction collapsed in Varanasi on Tuesday. Many vehicles are buried under the collapsed bridge near the railway station in Cantonment, PTI said.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and PWD Minister Keshav Maurya is heading for the accident spot. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to take all necessary steps for rescue people, said a government spokesperson.

(This is a developing story. We will update it as further reports come in).

25 persons have been rescued from the site so far, out of which 14 are seriously injured, UP police says. More bodies are feared to be trapped in debris. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of the State is reportedly leaving for Varanasi.

According to the NDRF, 18 bodies have been recovered so far and "three live persons rescued from the bridge site". Five of the injured persons are said to be out of danger, two recovered persons are seriously injured. A National Highways Authority Of India crane has cleared all the vehicles from the site.

The span of the bridge which collapsed was laid in February. The 2261-meters-long flyover was about 56 per cent complete.

The NDRF team rescues three victims from collapse site. Five NDRF teams are on the ground.

A three-member committee has been formed to probe the incident. The report to be submitted within 48 hours to Mr. Adityanath. Government announces ₹5 lakh ex-gratia compensation to kin of the dead and ₹2 lakh each to the injured.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the district magistrate of Varanasi who has apprised him of the incident. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team members have been rushed to the spot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses grief tweets, "Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected."

The Prime Minister said he spoke to the Chief Minister and promised that the "UP Government is monitoring the situation very closely and is working on the ground to assist the affected."

Senior police and administration officers also have reached the site of the incident. “It is feared that several people are buried under the rubble,” a source told PTI.

"Shri Rajnath Singh has expressed his deep anguish over the death of several people due to collapse of an under construction bridge in Varanasi. He conveys his condolences to the families of the deceased and prays for the speedy recovery of the injured," the Home Ministry tweets.

The incident is reported to have occurred post noon.