Bridge collapses in India, death toll rises to more than 140

Created: 10/31/2022, 9:25 am

By: Kai Hartwig

More than 140 people have died when a bridge collapsed in India.

The cause is still unclear.

Update from October 31, 9:25 a.m .:

The number of dead when a suspension bridge collapsed in western India has risen to 141.

Two other people are still missing, the local news agency IANS reported, citing the police.

Around 177 people were saved, the local television station NDTV reported.

The rescue work with boats continued.

The accident happened on Sunday evening (local time) in Morbi in the state of Gujarat.

Many victims fell into the water.

The suspension bridge, which spans the Machchhu River, was reopened last week after months of renovation work, it said.

According to local media, hundreds of people were on the suspension bridge at the time of the collapse.

Many of them performed rituals related to the Hindu festival of Chhath Puja, which worships a sun deity.

Rescuers search for possible victims of the bridge collapse in the Machchu river on boats.

© Ajit Solanki/dpa

The cause of the collapse of the suspension bridge is not yet clear.

A local official told NDTV that the local authorities have not yet inspected the bridge after the rehabilitation work and have not given the go-ahead for its reopening.

Media reports said that the construction might not have withstood the load of the many people.

The office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government of the affected state of Gujarat announced compensation for the families of the victims.

Bridge collapse in India: death toll rises

Update from October 30, 5:23 p.m .: At

least 30 people were killed by the collapse of a hundred-year-old bridge in India.

According to the authorities, the accident happened on Sunday in Morbi in the state of Gujarat in the west of the country.

More than 350 people were on the bridge at the time of the accident.

The bridge was only released again this week after months of repair work.

After the collapse of the structure, a large-scale rescue operation was initiated.

Divers were also used, they were looking for missing people.

"So far 30 bodies have been recovered," Gujarat State Government Minister Brijesh Merja told

.

Rescuers on boats search for victims in the Machchu river next to a collapsed bridge in Morbi district, India.

© Rajesh Ambaliya/AP/dpa

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India: Bridge collapsed shortly after reopening - at least 30 dead, many missing

First report from October 30th:

New Delhi/Morbi - According to consistent reports from local media, several people died when a bridge collapsed in India.

According to

newspaper , at least 30 people died in the accident that happened in Morbi, Gujarat state.

Numerous people would still be missing.

Dozens of people were also injured, it said.

According to the report, a rescue operation is currently underway.

The pedestrian bridge leads over a river, it was only reopened a few days ago after renovation work, it was said.

At the time of the collapse, there were many people on the suspension bridge.

There was initially no official information about the cause of the accident.

Media reported that the structure may not have been able to withstand the load of too many people on the bridge.