MUMBAI, 31 Oct 2022:
More than 130 people have died after a suspension bridge collapsed in the western Indian state of Gujarat, local authorities reported yesterday.
Hundreds of people were reportedly on the newly-renovated bridge when it snapped and plunged into the Machchhu river in the Morbi district of Gujarat.
The regional interior minister Harsh Sanghavi said there were 132 confirmed deaths so far and that authorities managed to rescue a significant number of the people who plunged into the river.
Gujarat’s regional housing and rural development minister Brijesh Merja told local media rescue operations were ongoing.
“The bridge was renovated last week. We are also shocked. We are looking into the matter,” Merja said in an earlier statement.
Gujarat Bridge Tragedy's Death Count Climbs To 130, 177 Rescued: 10 Facts https://t.co/paEtiGm3CS#MorbiBridgeCollapse pic.twitter.com/mBJPcekOtQ
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 31, 2022
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel cleared his schedule to travel to Morbi, he said in a tweet, adding that troops from the National Disaster Response Force had been mobilised to aid operations.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply saddened” by the “tragedy.”
“Relief and rescue operations are going on in full swing and all necessary assistance is being provided to those affected,” he said, according to a tweet on his official account.
The pedestrian suspension bridge in Morbi is an iconic piece of infrastructure in the region. It measures 1.25m-wide and 200m-long.
The over 100-year-old bridge reopened to the public on Oct 26 following a renovation.
– EFE