Morbi: A major accident occurred on Sunday evening when a 140-year-old suspension cable bridge over the Machhu river in Gujarat’s Morbi district collapsed, of which 132 people have died so far. These include women, children, and the elderly. 177 people have been rescued in the accident and 19 injured are being treated at Morbi Civil Hospital. Gujarat Information Department has given this information. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi are present in Morbi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting the election state of Gujarat, has decided to cancel his roadshow in Ahmedabad in view of the tragic incident. Apart from NDRF, SDRF, Army, Air Force, and Navy, the local administration is involved in massive rescue and relief operations. According to officials, this heritage bridge was reopened to the public just 4 days ago after extensive repair work and renovation.
Three teams of the Indian Coast Guard are conducting a rescue operation in Morbi
The defense official said that three teams of the Indian Coast Guard consisting of divers, equipment, boats, and other materials have been deployed in Morbi since last night.
The death toll in the Morbi bridge accident reached 132, FIR on the bridge management company
Giving information about the accident, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi said, “Everyone kept working throughout the night. Navy, NDRF, Air Force, and Army reached fast. More than 200 persons worked throughout the night (for search and rescue operations). A criminal case has been registered against the company that manages the bridge. The investigation started today under the leadership of Range IGP. There have been 132 deaths so far. The CM had formed a high power committee yesterday while leaving Ahmedabad. All the officers posted at different places have been asked to report in Morbi by 2 am.
17 rupees were charged to tourists to go to the cable bridge of Morbi
To go to the cable bridge of Morbi, the tourists were charged Rs 17 and the ticket for children was Rs 12. After the repair of the bridge, everything was going well. Since the bridge was opened after 7 months and was a Sunday, a large number of people had reached here. The capacity of the bridge was not much, but more than 400 people were standing on it at a time. Overcrowding on the bridge is said to be the main reason for the accident.
