With the recovery of one more body on Friday morning, the death toll in Thursday's bridge mishap in Daman has risen to 26 even as efforts to rescue missing persons continue.

"One more body of a student was recovered after the rescue operation was resumed on Friday morning," Collector and District Magistrate Gyanendra Shrivastav told PTI.

Nearly ten vehicles and several pedestrians fell into the Damanganga River on Thursday after a dilapidated bridge collapsed due to heavy rains in the Union Territory.

At least 25 people were injured, eleven of them seriously.

The 325-metre long bridge was the only connection between Moti Daman and Nani Daman.

The river was flooded owing to heavy rains when the mishap occurred, official sources said adding the water was around 40 feet deep.

Concerned people were standing on both sides of the river awaiting information about their missing kin.

However, there is little hope of any survivors or any more bodies being found as police fear they might have been flushed into the sea, just a few hundred metres away from the mishap site.

The agitated public has blamed government negligence for the mishap.

"The guarantee of the bridge expired long back. Despite repeated demands by the locals for an alternate bridge, the government failed to provide the same," said one witness.

"Even on Thursday, the administration was the last to respond. It was the local fishermen who initiated rescue efforts," he said.