Gujarat: Suspension bridge over river collapses in Morbi, killing 141
- A bridge over the river collapsed in Morbi, Gujarat. 141 people have died.
- An announcement has been made to provide relief amount of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of those who died and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
- On the other hand, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced a relief of Rs 4 lakh for the families of those killed in the accident and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
- This bridge, about a century old, was opened to the public in recent times after repairs.
A suspension bridge on the Machhu river collapsed in Morbi, Gujarat on Sunday. At least 141 people have died in this accident.
A century-old suspension bridge built on the Machhu river collapsed on Sunday, causing a large number of people to fall into the river. Many people are feared to be trapped in the river.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Singh Sanghvi has said that till one o’clock in the night, the bodies of 68 people were taken out. Relief and rescue operations were going on till late in the night and many people have been reported missing.
Earlier late night, BJP MP from Rajkot Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundaria told BBC correspondent Dilnawaz Pasha that 68 bodies have been recovered so far. They also feared the casualties would increase.
He says, “The number of injured is still less. But the work of searching for the people who were submerged in the water is going on.”
The BJP MP also told that most of the dead could be children.
Kundaria says that more than 50 ambulances reached the spot within 15 minutes.
He said, “I believe that there were more people on the bridge, due to which the bridge broke down. The information about how many tickets have been cut to go to the bridge is being collected now.”
According to the reports, about 400 people were present on the bridge at the time of its collapse.
It was informed from the official Twitter handle of Rajkot District Magistrate’s office that 22 ambulances, 7 fire brigade and six boats have been sent from Rajkot district for the accident site on the swinging bridge of Morbi.
This bridge was closed for years. It was recently reopened to the public after renovations.
This new bridge was opened after Diwali on the Gujarati New Year.
Due to Diwali holidays and Sunday there was a huge crowd of people on the bridge.
However, the reason why this century-old bridge fell is not known yet.
A five-member team has been formed to investigate the cause of the bridge collapse.
The administration is currently engaged in rescue and relief work. NDRF Director General Atul Karwal told news agency ANI that three teams of NDRF have been dispatched to the spot. Two teams have been sent from Gandhinagar and one from Baroda.
State Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted, “I am saddened by the collapse of the suspension bridge in Morbi. Relief and rescue operations are on by the authorities. I have given instructions to make arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured. I am constantly concerned about this in the district.” I am in touch with the administration.”
This swinging bridge built over the Machhu River in Morbi was built using modern European technology with the aim of giving Morbi a unique identity.
In the information given on the official website of Morbi city, this bridge has been described as a miracle of engineering.
The bridge was 1.25 meters wide and 233 meters long and connected the Durbargarh Palace and Lakhdhirji Engineering College on the Machhu River.
Giving information about this accident, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi said that the bridge collapsed at 6.30 pm. During that time 150 people were present there.
As soon as the information about the accident was received, the fire brigade squad reached there within 15 minutes. Along with this, the Collector, the SP of the district, doctors and ambulances also reached there. The Home Minister said that he too is reaching the spot immediately.
