A police official said on Monday that the death toll from the Morbi suspension bridge collapse in Gujarat had risen to 130, with rescue workers recovering more bodies from the Machchhu river.
The century-old suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi, Gujarat, about 240 kilometres from Gandhinagar, collapsed on Sunday evening, according to officials. After being closed for about seven months for repairs, the bridge reopened just four days ago.
P K Didhrejiya, Chief District Medical Officer of Morbi, stated that at least 60 of the 79 injured people admitted to Morbi Civil Hospital were in critical condition.
Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of State for Home, who rushed to Morbi, said about 150 people were on the bridge at the time of the accident.
Several women and children were reportedly on the “hanging bridge” when it snapped, plunging them into the water below. The incident happened around 6:30 p.m., when dozens of people were walking on the bridge, which is a popular tourist attraction in Morbi.
“By 9:45 p.m., more than 60 bodies had been fished out, and the rescue operation was still underway.” People are being rescued by the fire department, the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), and private divers. “Efforts are being made to break a check dam downstream so that the water level recedes in the stretch where the bridge stood,” said Rajkot MP Mohan Kundariya.
“There is water hyacinth in the river, which is impeding rescue efforts,” said Kundariya, a Morbi resident.
“Approximately 70-80 people were injured or stranded in the waters of Machchhu after falling into the river following the collapse of the bridge,” said Brijesh Merja, Minister of State for Panchayat and Morbi’s local MLA. “Search and rescue efforts are underway.” “The injured are being rushed to Morbi’s government and private hospitals,” he said.
While the Morbi municipality owns the bridge, the civic body signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier this year with Oreva Group, a private firm known for manufacturing clocks, to hand over operations and maintenance for 15 years.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), three NDRF teams, 50 Navy personnel, 30 IAF personnel, two columns of Indian Army personnel, and seven fire brigade teams were dispatched to Morbi. According to the report, a separate ward has been established at Morbi Civil Hospital.
Ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh has been announced by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel for the families of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured. He cancelled all of his plans and flew to Morbi. “Direct monitoring of the situation and necessary coordination with the system will be accomplished by personally arriving at the site,” the CM tweeted.
