As more information concerning the bridge collapse tragedy in Gujarat’s Morbi, which killed over 130 people, including more than 40 children, emerges, overcrowding and shortcomings in repair have become the primary worries. Visuals of weekend tourists who were taken off guard as the disaster struck have captured the agony of the Hanging Bridge collapse, which occurred on Sunday evening in a matter of minutes. Those who lived had horrifying stories to tell about the 233-meter rope bridge falling around 33 feet into the Machchhu River. With one more injured person passing away recently, the death toll now stands at 135. A total of 14 people are still hospitalised. One person is still missing, and the search continues, the Morbi District Collector said.
Not just India, there has been an outpouring of responses from across the world. “Today, our hearts are with India. Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones during the bridge collapse, and join the people of Gujarat in mourning the loss of too many lives cut short,” US President Joe Biden said on Monday.
Here are the ten most recent developments on the Morbi bridge collapse:
- Tuesday afternoon will see a visit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the accident site. He arrived in his home state on Sunday for the laying of the foundation stone for the Tata-Airbus Vadodara plant. He conducted a high-level discussion on the Morbi incident on Monday night. At the meeting, Bhupendra Bhai Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghavi, the state minister of home; and other key officials were present at the meeting. The rescue effort was explained to him.
2) In addition to the NDRF, teams of members of the Armed Forces, including the Navy and Air Force, have taken part in the rescue operations. PM Modi’s itinerary was jam-packed when his visit to Gujarat got underway on Sunday, but it was revisited.
3) A first investigation report (FIR) has been filed in the bridge collapse incident, highlighting claims of causing death by negligence, among other charges.Nine people were taken into custody on Monday. The maintenance of the bridge has been the responsibility of the manufacturing company Oreva Group for 15 years. Two of its employees have been arrested.
4) The company, known for producing Ajanta clocks, has been charged with “a callous approach.” On October 26, the bridge reopened following renovations.”We have no idea whether the fitness certificate was issued to the company for re-opening the bridge or not,” Sandeep Sinh Jhala, chief officer for Morbi municipality, said on Saturday. Jhala also said authorities have no information on the kind of material used during the renovation.
5) In the meantime, various leaders have been focusing on the BJP ahead of the elections, despite Mallikarjun Kharge, the chairman of the Congress, and party leader Rahul Gandhi stressing on Monday that the party will not participate in the political blame game.
6) “Modi ji, is the Morbi bridge accident an Act of God or an Act of Fraud?” senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted. Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, on the other hand, has been sharing an old video of the Prime Minister talking about the 2016 Kolkata flyover incident when 20 people died.
7) The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Gujarat chief, Gopal Italia, tweeted: “What could be worse than this? When the DM of Morbi district himself refused to give this bridge to a private company, a call came from a big leader from Gandhinagar, and then the corporation handed over the bridge to the private company. “
8) In addition to the stories of tragedies, stories of selflessness and bravery by people who participated in the rescue efforts even before the teams arrived are also starting to surface. Anglers also contributed.
9) One of the greatest tragedies in recent memory is being investigated by a five-person team.
10) The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) has declared an ex-gratia of 2 lakh for each of the deceased’s next of kin and 50,000 for each of the injured. The Gujarati government has offered compensation amounts of Rs. 50,000 for the injured and Rs. 4 lakh for the kin of the deceased.
