Building from the 19th century
“People fell on top of each other”: Suspension bridge collapsed in India – at least 60 dead
Rescuers on boats search for victims in the Machchu River near a collapsed bridge
© Rajesh Ambaliya / DPA
In India, a recently reopened suspension bridge has collapsed carrying hundreds of pedestrians. Many fell into the river, killing at least 60 people.
At least 60 people died when a suspension bridge collapsed in western India, officials said. More than 80 other people were rescued alive after the accident on Sunday in the city of Morbi in the state of Gujarat, Minister Brijesh Merja of the regional government told the AFP news agency. Media reports spoke of 90 deaths.
According to local media, the rescue teams continued to search for more than a hundred missing people on Monday night. The 233-meter-long suspension bridge over the Machchhu River, which dates back to British colonial times, was only reopened on Wednesday after months of repair work. The broadcaster NDTV reported that the bridge did not have a safety certificate.
Suspension bridge in India from the 19th century
According to authorities, the bridge’s suspension cables gave way when a crowd of people performed rituals as part of a religious celebration there on Sunday. At the time of the accident, around 500 people were on or near the bridge, including children, it said.
Videos from local media, which AFP could not initially verify, showed people desperately clinging to what was left of the bridge or trying to swim to shore. “People fell on top of each other after the bridge collapsed,” an eyewitness told local media. People flocked to the bridge for rituals for the Diwali festival. “Many children and women were among the victims,” added the witness.
Premier: Those affected should receive “every possible help”.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was traveling through his home state of Gujarat at the time of the accident, had “sought to urgently mobilize rescue teams,” his office wrote on Twitter. Accordingly, Modi announced compensation for the survivors of the fatalities and for the injured. Those affected should receive “every possible help”, it said.
Disasters due to old and poorly maintained infrastructure are common in India. 26 people were killed when an elevated road collapsed in Kolkata in 2016. In 2011, at least 32 people died in the north-east of the country when a holiday crush caused a bridge to collapse.
Note: The article is continuously updated.