New Delhi: The death toll from the collapse of a suspension bridge in Gujarat’s Morbi town has risen to 132 Monday, state home minister Harsh Sanghavi said, adding that two people were still missing.
He informed that the rescue operation was in its last stage and “will be over soon”.
The recently renovated colonial-era bridge collapsed on Sunday evening leading to around 400 tourists, who were on the bridge, falling into Machchhu river.
According to officials, the footbridge collapsed around 6:30 PM after the supporting cables of the bridge snapped.
The century-old bridge was reopened to the public on 26 October after six months of closure for renovations. The 230-meter bridge was constructed in the 19th century, during the British colonial era.
After the collapse, all that remained of the bridge was part of the metal carriageway hanging down from one end into the dark water, its thick cables snapped in places.
‘Fitness certificate’ for bridge not issued after repair
Morbi Municipality’s chief officer Sandeepsinh Zala said that the private firm, Oreva Group, responsible for renovating the bridge opened it to visitors without notifying authorities.
“It was opened for the public after the completion of the renovation work. But the local municipality had not yet issued any fitness certificate (after the renovation work),” he said.
However, Oreva Group spokesperson said that prima facie the mishap occurred due to the people shaking it. He claimed that the collapse took place as “too many people in the mid-section of the bridge were trying to sway it from one way to the other.”
According to an NDTV report, many were performing Chhath Puja rituals on the bridge, while others had come to visit during the festival season.
A five-person committee made up of officials and police officers has been formed by the Gujarat government to investigate the incident. At least two of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s events in the state were postponed or cancelled due to the incident.
A government statement said that a national disaster management team and 50 Navy and 30 Air Force troops were requested to assist in locating missing people.
In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Gujarat’s minister for Labour and Employment, Brijesh Merja, said that the government takes responsibility for the tragedy.
With inputs from wires