Ahmedabad: A major accident took place in the Morbi district of Gujarat on Sunday evening. Here the cable bridge built on the Machhu river suddenly broke down. Around 400 people were present on the bridge at the time of the accident, out of which 100 people fell into the river. According to Morbi Civil Hospital officials, at least 45 people died in this accident, mostly children. Officials said that more than 50 people were brought to the government hospital in an unconscious state.
PM Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident, while 50 thousand will be given to the injured. On the other hand, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Patel has announced assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, while Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi has confirmed the death of only 7 people in this accident so far. Talking to the media, he said, ‘Very sad unfortunate incident has happened. At the time when the bridge broke, around 150 people were on the bridge. Within just 15 minutes of this incident, the entire system of the city was on the spot.
According to the information, this cable bridge built on the Machu river was quite old. It was included in the heritage bridge. It was reopened after Diwali after repairs on the Gujarati New Year itself. According to the information, the bridge was closed for about 7 months for repairs. It was opened only two days ago. At present, the rescue operation is going on. Efforts are being made to evacuate 100 people.
PM Narendra Modi expressed grief
After this accident, the PMO tweeted – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat Chief Minister, and other officials talked about the accident in Morbi. He has asked for the immediate mobilization of teams for the rescue operation, monitoring the situation closely and continuously, and providing all possible help to the affected people.
CM tweeted
On this accident, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted – I am saddened by the incident of the suspension bridge collapse in Morbi. Rescue and relief work is going on. Necessary instructions have been given for the immediate treatment of the injured. I am in constant touch with the district administration regarding this incident.
Amit Shah expressed grief
Expressing grief over this incident, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted, ‘Very saddened by the accident in Morbi. I have spoken to Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi and other officials on this subject. The local administration is engaged in relief work with full readiness, and NDRF is also reaching the spot soon. Instructions have been given to the administration to provide immediate treatment to the injured.
At the same time, Congress MP has also expressed grief by tweeting about this accident. He wrote, ‘The news of the bridge accident in Morbi, Gujarat is very sad. I extend my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families in such difficult times. I appeal to all Congress workers to extend all possible help to the injured persons in the accident and help in the search for missing people.
This swinging bridge of Morbi is more than 140 years old and its length is about 765 feet. The foundation of this bridge was laid on 20 February 1879 at the hands of Richard Temple, the then Governor of Mumbai. It is said that about three and a half lakh rupees were spent on the construction of this bridge at that time. This bridge connects Darbargarh to Nazarbagh, for which materials were then imported from England to build.
