According to international media, a suspension bridge in India collapsed when more than 400 people passed through the infrastructure and, according to the country’s authorities, there are at least 132 dead.
This Morbi suspension bridge, in the State of Gujarat, was reopened just a few days ago and collapsed on the afternoon of October 30, when several dozen people were enjoying the Gujarati New Year celebration. From one moment to another, the bridge dropped into the Machhu River those who were unable to leave the structure. In addition to the 132 deceased, a hundred were reported missing.
For their part, the authorities have mobilized troops, including the National Disaster Response Force, to carry out rescue operations. In addition, Gujarat’s head of government, Bhupendra Patel, canceled his entire schedule to monitor and coordinate the situation at the scene.
It is worth mentioning that this bridge was built during the British occupation of India in the 19th century and was closed for renovation work for six months, until last week when it was reopened to the public.
According to the regional Minister of the Interior, Harsh Sanghavi, the rescue operations have managed to find a large part of the people who were in the place. In addition, he stated that most of those injured in the collapse have been admitted to hospital.
Videos have been posted on social media showing people hanging from the bridge in the dark and trying to swim to shore to safety. This unfortunate event occurs just after, according to the NDTV station, the bridge has been reopened despite not having a safety certificate and that since October 29 images were captured showing it tottering.
In India, it is very common for accidents to happen in old and unmaintained infrastructure, as in the case of an overpass that collapsed in 2016 in the middle of a busy street in the city of Kolkata, which left at least 26 people deceased. In 2011, at least 32 people were killed when another bridge packed with people attending a festival collapsed in Dajeerling.