This is one of the most tragic accidents that have happened over the span of the past ten years. The death toll has reached 141. Children are also among the victims. Injured persons are being carried to the hospitals.
Contents
Where is the Suspension Bridge?
The footbridge is located on the Machchhu River in the Morbi town of Gujrat. It joins the Darbargadh Palace heritage hotel and Morbi town. The width of the bridge is 1.25 meters and its length is 233 meters.
The bridge is hundreds of years old and belonged to the British era. It was built in 1877.
It was recently opened for visitors. And on Sunday many people came to visit it on the occasion of the festivals of Deepavali and Chhath Pooja. Over 400 tickets were sold that day.
Who was Responsible for the Maintenance of the Suspension Bridge?
Oreva group, which is a Gujarat-based electrical appliances manufacturer, had the responsibility of taking care of the wear and tear of the bridge.
15 years ago, the bridge was under the observation of the local municipality and at that time only 20 persons were allowed on the bridge at a time.
The chief officer of Morbi municipality, Sandeepsinh Zala, said that the Oreva group did not take permission before reopening the bridge for the public. The group must have ensured beforehand that the bridge was fit for public opening or not.
A criminal case has been registered by the police against the unnamed persons. These involve those who were given the responsibility of maintenance and management of the bridge. The government has also formed a 5 member committee for the investigation.
The Collapse of the Suspension Bridge and the Rescue operation:
Many videos are coming up. You can see that a few youngsters were on the bridge and were clicking pictures while others were trying to swing it. Suddenly, the cables holding the bridge broke, and the bridge and the people standing on it fell into the river. They plunged into the river by around ten meters.
The teams of NDRF, Army, SDRF, Indian Coast guard, and local administration are carrying out search and rescue operations on a war footing. Seven deep divers from the Navy have also been engaged.
Till now, 177 persons have been rescued. According to the authorities, the rescue work is being hampered by the river’s muddy water.
Indian PM Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. Compensation has also been announced for the families of the victims as well as for the injured persons.
