Gujarat bridge collapse top updates: 78 dead, several feared trapped as 143-year-old repaired bridge collapses in Morbi

The death toll in the Gujarat bridge collapse incident rose to 78 on Sunday night, state DGP Ashish Bhatia confirmed. The mishap occurred after a century-old suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi city collapsed on Sunday evening. 

The incident took place at around 6:30 pm when nearly 400-500 people were on the suspension bridge that divides Morbi town into two. The bridge which had remained closed for nearly two years, had reopened on October 26 after renovation. 

Here are the top updates on the big story:

How the mishap occurred?

The bridge, known as Julto Pool (shaking bridge), was originally constructed by the rulers of the erstwhile princely state of Morbi, and was a major tourist attraction. According to officials quoted by PTI, the bridge collapsed as it could not bear the weight of the people standing on it. 

Due to the Diwali vacation and being a Sunday, there was a rush of tourists on the bridge, a major tourist attraction. A private operator had carried out the repair work of the bridge for nearly six months before it was reopened to the public on the Gujarati New Year day on October 26. 

Also Read | Gujarat bridge collapse: What led to the mishap in Morbi? All you need to know about the iconic 143-year-old bridge

Eyewitnesses narrate horrific incident

Eyewitnesses said there were several women and children on the British era “hanging bridge” when it snapped, plunging them into the water below. 

Some people were seen jumping on the bridge and pulling its big wires, an eyewitness said. The bridge may have collapsed due to the “huge crowd” on it, he added. People fell over each other when the bridge collapsed, he said. 

“I had come to the river bank along with friends after my office hours when we heard the sound of the bridge snapping. We rushed there and jumped into the water to save people,” an eyewitness said. 

“We rescued some children and women,” he said. A man who was injured in the incident, said the collapse was sudden and may have been due to too many people on the bridge.
 
3 NDRF teams rushed to spot, another to be airlifted

The National Disaster Response Force rushed three teams to Gujarat's Morbi district to carry out the search and rescue operations.

NDRF Director General (DG) Atul Karwal told PTI that the three teams have been moved from state capital Gandhinagar (two teams) and Vadodara (one team).

He said each of the three teams comprises 30 rescuers and four boats and is led by senior officers. Another team will be airlifted in some time and it will move via road from Rajkot to the accident site, Karwal said.

PM, CM announce ex-gratia

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 to the injured. The CMO also tweeted that Patel is leaving for Morbi, cancelling all his other events, to monitor the situation and review the rescue and relief operations currently underway.

The PMO has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

About the iconic bridge

The bridge was first inaugurated on February 20, 1879, by Mumbai governor Richard Temple. It was completed in 1880 at the cost of around Rs 3.5 lakh back then. All the material came from England and it was built to connect Darbargarh to Nazarbagh.

Now, this hanging pool connects the seat of Mahaprabhuji and the entire Samakantha area. This suspension bridge is over 140 years old and its length is about 765 feet. 

Fitess certificate not issued, says civic official

In wake of the hanging bridge crash, which left at least 35 dead and scores missing, in Gujarat's Morbi on Sunday evening, the Morbi Municipal Committee's Chief Executive Officer S.V. Zala, in a shocking revelation, said that the bridge was opened for the public without a fitness certificate.

Zala, addressing the local media, said: "For a long period, this bridge was closed for the public... seven months ago, a private company was given contract for renovation and maintenance, and the bridge was reopened for the public on October 26 (Gujarati New year day) by the private company. The Nagar Palika has not issued a fitness certificate."

He even claimed that it is possible that the company might have got a fitness certificate from the engineering company, but it was not submitted to the municipality till date. The company, on its own and without informing the civic body, reopened the bridge for the public, he alleged.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel also told the media that normally when bridges are constructed or renovated, before opening it for public, technical assessment is must, and load bearing capacity is tested and only after this is a usage certificate issued by the authority concerned and the bridges can only then be opened for the public.