Source:
CNN KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- A suspension bridge overloaded with as many as 1,000 people attending a Hindu religious festival collapsed Tuesday, sending most of them falling through a gorge into a raging river 100 feet below in a remote region of Nepal, according to Nepalese police.
While many swam to safety, between 400 and 500 people who were on the bridge were missing, police said. Only 15 bodies had been recovered so far.
Rescuers took 32 people -- including 20 women and 12 men -- to a hospital, police added.
With the arrival of darkness, the rescue effort became more difficult for the Nepalese soldiers and police officers who were searching the steep river banks for survivors. Those who survived the fall into the river still faced a 400-yard swim downstream to a shallow and calm lake.
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