The colonial-era suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in Morbi was packed with tourists – many in town to celebrate the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals – when it collapsed on Sunday night, sending people plunging about 10 meters (33 feet ) in the water. Authorities said they believed about 200 people were on the bridge when it collapsed. “One person who was injured in the incident and admitted to hospital has succumbed to his injuries, taking the toll to 135,” GT Pandya, senior administrative officer in Morbi, told Reuters. “Search operations have resumed today. We believe one person is currently missing.” Locals at the site of the damaged bridge on Tuesday told Reuters, however, that they believed more than 200 people were on the bridge and feared the death toll could rise further. A map showing the location of the bridge collapse over the Machhu River in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Teams from the Indian Army, Navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continued search operations as locals gathered on the river banks. The bridge – 233 meters long and 1.25 meters wide – was originally built in 1877 and had been closed for six months for repairs until last week. “It is suspected that some bodies may be there on the river bed. That is why we have continued operations with the help of our deep divers,” NDRF official VVN Prasanna Kumar told Reuters TV partner ANI. [1/5] People clear debris after a suspension bridge collapsed in the town of Morbi in India’s western Gujarat state October 31, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer CCTV footage of the incident showed a group of young men trying to swing the bridge from end to end, while others took the pictures before falling into the river below as the cables gave way. Indian police arrested nine people on Monday on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Those arrested include ticket officers accused of letting too many people on the bridge and contractors who had undertaken the repair work. The western state of Gujarat, where Morbi is located, declared Wednesday a day of mourning. The state government said in a statement that 152 people had been discharged from hospital while 17 were still undergoing treatment. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hails from Gujarat and was the state’s chief minister for nearly 13 years, will visit the industrial city later in the day. Modi, who had been touring the state which has elections early next year, is expected to visit the disaster site and the Morbi hospital, officials said. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party came under fire from opposition parties for what they called an unusually fresh coat of paint for the hospital ahead of the prime minister’s visit. US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping were the latest to send condolences for the loss of life, many of them children. “In this difficult time, we will continue to stand and support the Indian people,” Biden said in a statement. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying: “On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the victims and express our sincere condolences to their families and the injured.” Reporting by Shivam Patel and Sumit Khanna. Sudipto Ganguly writes in Mumbai. Edited by Edwina Gibbs and Jacqueline Wong Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
