Agencies
Oct 31, 2022 : As many as 141 people died following a bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, police said on Monday. A suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Gujarat’s Morbi collapsed on Sunday evening after it was crammed with people around 6:30 pm. It reopened five days ago after extensive repairs and renovation.
After the collapse, all that remained of the bridge was part of the metal carriageway hanging down from one end into the dark water, its thick cables snapped in places. Some people were seen jumping on the bridge and pulling its big wires, an eyewitness said, adding the bridge may have collapsed due to the “huge crowd” on it.
Recalling the horror, a witness said, “People were hanging from cables and then slipped down. I didn’t sleep and helped people entire night. It was heart-wrenching to see a 7-8-month-pregnant woman die. Never saw anything like that in my life.”
How did the collapse happen
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.
It is alleged that the bridge was opened without a fitness certificate from the Morbi municipality. “…the local municipality had not yet issued any fitness certificate (after the renovation work),” an official said.
Cut to the day when the incident happened. There was a rush of tourists on the bridge due to the Diwali vacation and being a Sunday. It could not bear the weight of the people standing on it, and hence, collapsed.
