Ambulances arrive at a hospital after the collapse of the suspension bridge in Morbi.
(Photo: ANI/Reuters)
(CNN) --
At least 60 people were killed Sunday in India when a bridge collapsed in the western state of Gujarat, sending hundreds of people into the water, according to authorities.
The Morbi town bridge had recently been renovated and the government would investigate how and why the incident occurred, said Brijesh Merja, minister of state at the Gujrat Ministry of Labor and Employment.
He added that the current focus was on search and rescue operations.
In an interview to NDTV from the scene of the tragedy, Merja said that at least 17 people were being treated at the hospital.
Among the dead were children, MP Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariya told NDTV.
Personnel from the Indian army, navy and air force are assisting in search and rescue operations, according to the chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel.
Patel assured that the armed forces would be helping the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
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Image showing a damaged part of the Morbi suspension bridge.
(Photo: Stringer/Reuters)
Gujarat State Minister Merja said three NDRF platoons, 50 Navy personnel, 30 Air Force personnel, two columns of Army personnel and seven fire crews from Rajkot, Jamnagar and Diu were deployed to rescue and aid efforts.
He also said that an isolation ward has been set up in the Rajkot civil hospital for treatment.
The families of the victims will receive money from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Relief Fund.
Modi tweeted that he is "deeply saddened" by the Morbi tragedy, saying rescue and relief operations are ongoing.
Gujarat Chief Minister Patel said he was on his way to Morbi and was canceling all events scheduled for that day.
"I express my condolences to the families of the citizens who have lost their lives in the tragedy. The state government will provide Rs 4 lakhs to the family of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured," Patel tweeted.
Television footage showed dozens of people holding on to cables and debris from the bridge as emergency crews tried to reach them, Reuters reported.
Some climbed up the shattered structure to reach the riverbanks, while others swam to safety.
More than 150 people were on the bridge, which is a tourist attraction, at the time of the disaster, state interior minister Harsh Sanghavi said.
The 230-meter bridge was built in the 19th century and was only reopened to the public last week after renovation work.
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