NEW DELHI –
At least 60 folks died and lots of are feared injured after a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed right into a river Sunday night within the western Indian state of Gujarat, sending a whole bunch plunging within the water, officers stated.
Authorities stated the Nineteenth-century, colonial-era bridge over the Machchu river within the state’s Morbi district collapsed as a result of it couldn’t deal with the load of the massive crowd, because the Hindu pageant season drew a whole bunch of individuals to the just lately opened vacationer attraction. The bridge had been closed for renovation for nearly six months and was reopened simply 4 days in the past.
It was not instantly clear precisely how many individuals have been on the 764-foot-long (232-meter-long) bridge, however officers concern the demise toll may rise. State minister Brijesh Merja instructed reporters that 60 folks have died to this point and that 17 folks have been admitted to hospitals.
Merja stated emergency responders and rescue employees have been looking for the survivors and people killed and injured have been largely teenagers, ladies and older folks. Teams from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force have been additionally dispatched to assist with the rescue.
“A rescue operation is underway,” Merja was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India information company. “There are studies that a number of folks have suffered accidents. They are being rushed to hospitals.”
Videos on social media confirmed folks clinging onto the steel cables of the partly submerged bridge in misery as emergency groups and rescuers used boats and inflatable tires to achieve them. Some folks have been seen swimming ashore to security. Others, who have been fished from the waters, have been carried away and transported to the hospitals in personal autos and ambulances.
Local information channels ran footage of the lacking shared by involved family members in quest of their family members.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s in his house state of Gujarat on a three-day go to, stated he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy.” His workplace introduced compensation to the households of the dead and urged for fast rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, the state authorities stated it has fashioned a particular group to analyze the catastrophe.
A vote for Gujarat’s state authorities — led by Modi’s social gathering — is predicted within the coming months and opposition events have demanded an investigation into the collapse, saying that the bridge was reopened with out getting security clearance from town’s civic physique. The declare couldn’t be independently verified.
Modi dominated the state as the highest elected official for 12 years earlier than turning into India’s prime minister in 2014.
The bridge collapse is Asia’s third main catastrophe in a month.
On Saturday, a Halloween crowd surge killed greater than 150 largely younger individuals who attended festivities in Itaewon, a neighbourhood in Seoul, South Korea. On Oct. 1, police in Indonesia fired tear fuel at a soccer match, inflicting a crush that killed 132 folks as spectators tried to flee.