Dozens of people have apparently died when a suspension bridge collapsed in western India. The television station NDTV reports more than 90 deaths. About 200 are still missing.
The accident happened on Sunday evening (local time) in Morbi in the state of Gujarat, the newspaper reported The Times of India and local media. Many victims fell from the bridge into the water. The Indian Army, Civil Protection and Indian Air Force are still searching for survivors.
The bridge was reopened just this week
The pedestrian bridge over the Machchhu River was reopened this week after renovation work, it said. The building dates from the 19th century and is a tourist attraction in the town of Morbi. According to the NDTV television station, several hundred people were on the bridge at the time of the accident. “We are shocked. An investigation is underway,” Gujarat Labor Minister Brijesh Merja told the broadcaster.
Images and videos on social media show how the structure appears to be falling apart in the middle and several people are clinging to avoid falling into the water.
Broadcaster NDTV reports the bridge was renovated by a private company and opened without official approval on the state’s New Year’s Day on October 26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office announced on Twitter that compensation would be paid to the victims’ families.