Nepal resumes search for missing in bridge collapse

KATHMANDU, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Rescuers searched on Wednesday for scores of people missing after a suspension bridge collapsed into a river in west Nepal, killing at least 15 people, mostly women and children, police said.

Dozens of survivors had been found after the accident near Chhinchu village on Tuesday, local police officer Madhav Rijal said.

Media reports said scores of people were still missing.

The victims were crossing the Bheri river to attend a religious fair in the area when the supporting pillars of the metal bridge gave in.

"Rescuers from the army and police have resumed the search operation for the people who may be still missing," Rijal said. "But we have no numbers."

Suspension bridges over rivers cascading from the Himalayas connect remote villages in the rugged mountainous nation that lacks road networks in the rural areas. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Krittivas Mukherjee and Jerry Norton)