At the very least 130 lifeless in suspension bridge collapse

At the very least 130 individuals died in India when a colonial-era pedestrian bridge spanning a river collapsed Sunday night within the western state of Gujarat, native police mentioned. Fifteen different persons are hospitalized.

Authorities estimated that 500 individuals, together with ladies and youngsters, have been celebrating a spiritual vacation on and across the bridge when the cables supporting it gave manner shortly after darkish. “The loss of life toll now stands at 130,” Rahul Tripathi, police superintendent of Morbi, the city the place the accident occurred, advised AFP, including that about 15 persons are hospitalized.

The bridge over the Machchhu River, positioned in Morbi, about 200 kilometers west of Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s important metropolis, dates again to British colonial instances and had simply reopened to the general public after months of labor.

“Individuals have been falling on prime of one another when the bridge broke. They’d gathered on it for rituals due to the Diwali competition. There are numerous ladies and youngsters among the many victims,” ​​mentioned an unnamed witness. recognized quoted by native media. Morbi police chief P. Dekavadiya advised AFP that greater than 130 individuals had been rescued.

Divers and navy

The 233-meter-long suspension bridge was in-built 1880 with supplies introduced from England, in accordance with native media. NDTV mentioned it was reopened to the general public on Wednesday after seven months of labor and not using a safety certificates being issued by authorities.

A rescue operation was launched, involving divers, boats and dozens of troopers. Authorities deliberate to chop off the river’s water provide from the close by verify dam and use pumps to dry up the stream to hurry up search operations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Gujarat, the place he’s from, referred to as for “the pressing mobilization of rescue groups”, and the availability of help for all victims, his cupboard tweeted.

Frequent accidents

Accidents on previous and poorly maintained infrastructure are frequent in India, particularly on bridges. In 2016, the rupture of a footbridge over a busy road within the metropolis of Kolkata (east) brought about the loss of life of a minimum of 26 individuals.

In 2011 a minimum of 32 individuals died when a bridge collapsed on which have been a crowd of individuals of a competition in northeast India, about 30 kilometers from town of Darjeeling.

Lower than every week later round 30 individuals have been killed within the rupture of a footbridge crossing a river within the state of Aruchnal Pradesh (northeast). In 2006, a minimum of 34 individuals have been killed when a 150-year-old bridge collapsed on a passenger practice at a station within the state of Bihar (east).

This text has been printed mechanically. Sources: ats / afp