Newsman: The authorities updated with latest numbers of deaths saying at least 132 people were killed after cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river Sunday evening in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Among many of them are children.
State minister Harsh Sanghvi told reporters that 132 people have died so far and many were admitted to hospitals in critical condition. Officials told local media Hundreds plunging in the Machchu River water in one of the worst accidents in the country over the past decade. Emergency responders and rescue workers were searching for the survivors and those killed and injured were mostly teens, women and older people. Teams from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force were also dispatched to help with the rescue.
It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were on the 764-foot-long bridge, but officials fear the death toll could rise.
Just days ago, the 19th-century, colonial-era bridge was reopened after renovation. Officials said that the bridge gave way because it could not handle the number of people on it.
Personnel from India’s army, navy and air force are assisting in search and rescue operations according to the Chief Minister of India’s Gujarat state, Bhupendra Patel.
Officials told local media earlier, over a hundred people were plunged into the Machchu river when the bridge in the state’s Morbi district collapsed. It was not immediately clear how many people were on the bridge, but officials fear the death toll could rise.
State minister Brijesh Merja told television channels immediate after the collapse that that 60 people have died so far and that 17 people were admitted to hospitals.
“Due to the bridge collapse, several people fell into the river. A rescue operation is underway,” Merja was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. “There are reports that several people have suffered injuries. They are being rushed to hospitals.”
Videos on social media showed people clinging onto the partly submerged bridge in distress while another showed people swimming to safety.
The bridge in the town of Morbi had been recently renovated and the government would investigate how and why the incident occurred, said the Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment of Gujrat, Brijesh Merja. The current focus was on search and rescue operations, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in his home state of Gujarat on a three-day visit, said he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy.” His office announced compensation to the families of the dead and urged for speedy rescue efforts.
