At least 60 people were killed and several injured after a cable-stayed bridge collapsed on the Machchhu river in Gujarat’s Morbi district on Sunday evening, an official at the local civil hospital said. According to the first reports, the cable bridge was reopened five days ago after reconstruction. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said more than 70 people were rescued and taken to hospital. He also informed that most of the people who are rescued are out of danger.
Gujarat Minister Brijesh Merja informed that the death toll of Morbi cable bridge collapse has now reached 60. We are truly saddened by the tragedy in Morbi. PM Modi called me to ask about the situation and Gujarat CM is also taking stock. Local leaders are also working to help the injured people,” said Merja, who is at the scene of the incident, while talking to journalists.
Several people fell into the river after the bridge collapsed
Rescue operations are underway. A local official said most of those who died were women, children or the elderly. The Morbi bridge was reopened only a week ago after repairs. At the time, the bridge was crowded as people celebrated the festival of Diwali, officials said. The 230m (754 ft) bridge over the Machchu River was built during British rule in the 19th century. The death toll is expected to rise. Police, military and disaster response teams were deployed and rescue operations continued throughout the night. Rescue operations are still ongoing. More than 177 people have been rescued so far, officials said.
“Many children were enjoying Diwali holidays and came here as tourists,” eyewitness Sukram told Reuters. “They all fell on top of each other. The bridge collapsed due to overload.” Rescuers searched for survivors during the night Videos on social media showed dozens of people clinging to the wreckage as rescue teams tried to save them. Some survivors climbed the broken net of the bridge and others managed to swim to the banks of the river.
Reports said several hundred people were on the bridge at around 18:40 IST (13:10 GMT) on Sunday. Video taken before the collapse showed it full of people, swaying and many clutching the netting at the sides. Gujarat is the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who announced compensation to the families of the victims. He said he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy”. Authorities have promised a full investigation. Questions are being asked about whether safety checks were carried out before the bridge reopened. It is a popular tourist attraction known locally as Julto Pul (swinging bridge).
Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said that criminal cases under various sections of the Act have been registered in connection with the incident. Prateek Vasava was on the bridge at the time of the incident. He told Gujarati news channel 24 Hours how he swam to the river bank. Several children fell into the river, he said, adding: “I wanted to take some of them with me, but they drowned or were swept away.” Videos showed scenes of chaos as bystanders on the banks of the river tried to rescue those trapped in the water as darkness fell.
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