Over 91 persons have lost their lives after a cable bridge collapsed on the Machchhu river in Gujarat’s Morbi on Sunday, state Minister Brijesh Merja said, who is present at the incident spot.
There were about 500 people on the bridge when it collapsed. However, most of the people have been rescued.
“More than 91 people have died. 17 people are admitted to the hospital at the moment. The Chief Minister is coming. The incident took place at around 6.40 pm,” Minister Merja said news agency.
BJP MP from Rajkot, Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariya said that the NDRF is conducting the rescue operation. “More than 60 (earlier)bodies were recovered, of which more are of children, women & elderly. Rest have been rescued; NDRF rescue op is underway. We’re taking this matter very seriously, it’s very saddening,” he said.
“Machinery present at the spot to pump out the water so that we can figure out the bodies underneath, as there’s a lot of silt. I believe the bridge got overloaded and that led to the incident. Many teams engaged in rescue, CM to arrive shortly, “ he added.
The eyewitnesses Amit Patel & Sukram present on the spot said that the incident might have taken place because of the huge crowd at the bridge.
“Many people came here in view of the Diwali holidays and weekend; it’s a tourist-friendly place. The incident occurred probably because of the huge crowd at the bridge. When it collapsed, people fell over each other,” they said.
Soon after the incident, State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi informed that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been instructed to reach the spot.
The cable bridge collapsed at around 6.30 pm following which the officials and ambulance were rushed to the spot to conduct the rescue operations. State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi informed that the NDRF has been instructed to reach the spot.
“It’s a sad and unfortunate incident. Around 6:30 pm, the bridge in Morbi carrying 150 people collapsed. In just 15 mins, fire brigade, collector, district SP, doctors, and ambulance reached the spot… I’ll be reaching the spot too. The official death toll in the matter is seven,” Sanghavi said while speaking to the reporters here.
“We have been able to rescue most of the people there… we are receiving all kinds of help from the Centre. NDRF and other agencies have been instructed to reach the spot. Most people injured due to the collapse have been admitted to the hospital,” he said.
Meanwhile, NDRF DG Atul Karwal said that three teams have already been dispatched to assist in the rescue operations.
“Three NDRF teams have already been dispatched–two from Gandhinagar & one from Baroda–to assist in the rescue operation following an accident in Gujarat’s Morbi city in which several people fell into Machchhu river after a suspension bridge collapsed,” Karwal said.
“We are really saddened by the tragedy that happened at Morbi today. PM Modi directly called me and asked about the situation and CM Bhupendra Patel is also taking the stock of the situation. It is sad that people who have been shifted to the hospital, some of them have died. Morbi’s people stand together with the injured and the local leaders are working to help the people here. The deceased figure has been 35 till now,” Merja said. The Chief Minister said that he is cancelling all his events today and leaving for Morbi where the incident took place.
