Several people are missing and feared dead after a bridge collapsed over a flooded river in India as two buses were crossing.

The single-lane bridge on the Mumbai-Goa highway, which connects Mumbai with the beach resort state of Goa, collapsed at about midnight on Tuesday, according to Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra state's chief minister.

Rescuers had failed to find the vehicles or any survivors hours after the tragedy took place.

The state-run buses were carrying a total of 18 passengers, two drivers and two conductors, according to Mr Fadnavis.

He said the bridge, constructed in the 1940s, probably collapsed because of strong currents from the Savitri River, which was flooded by monsoon rains.