Search and rescue work is going on as a cable suspension bridge collapsed in Morbi town of Gujarat. The cable suspension bridge collapsed into the river Sunday evening, sending hundreds plunging in the water, officials said. AP
It’s one of the deadliest bridge collapses in India in recent history. At least 132 people lost their lives after the British-era suspension bridge crashed in Gujarat’s Morbi on Sunday. The death toll is likely to go up as rescue operations are underway.
“The rescue operation is in its last stage in the Machchhu river. It will be over soon,” Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi told reporters. “As per the latest information, 132 people lost their lives in the incident.”
More than 500 people, including women and children, were on the bridge that could hold up to 100 when the cables which support it snapped and people crashed into the river. The bridge had been shut for seven months for repairs before it was reopened on 26 October.
The nearly 150-year-old bridge collapsed as it could not bear the weight of the people standing on it, according to reports in the media. Some youths were shaking the bridge deliberately, a family which had a narrow escape told news channels. It said that the matter was reported to the bridge staff but they paid little heed.
Around 500 people were on the bridge which could hold 100 people. PTI
As the tragedy unfolds, we look at other deadly bridge collapses in India.
2016: 26 crushed to death in Kolkata bridge collapse
In March 2016, a section of an under-construction bridge – the Vivekananda Flyover – in Kolkata collapsed, crushing 26 people to death. Rescue workers pulled out nearly 100 injured people from under huge concrete slabs and metal debris.
Twenty six were crushed to death after part of the underconstruction flyover crashed in Kolkata. PTI
IVRCL, a Hyderabad-based company, was tasked with constructing the two-km flyover, a project that had been marred by delays. A representative of the construction firm, Panduranga Rao, described the accident as an “act of God”.
Sixteen persons were arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other related charges. A year later, they were out on bail.
In June 2021, more than five years after the mishap, the dismantling of the bridge started.
2011: Mishaps in Bengal and Arunachal
Thirty-two people were killed and more than 100 injured as a wooden suspension bridge collapsed at Bijanbari, 40 kilometres from Darjeeling in West Bengal in October 2011. More than 100 people had gathered on the bridge to listen to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders.
Overcrowding led to the bridge collapse in Bijanbari near Darjeeling. AFP
The pressure of the crowd led to the falling of the bridge. The suspension bridge was built in 1972 and was meant for pedestrians. However, over time it was used by motorcycles which weakened it.
Less than a week later, 30 people were killed when a foot-over bridge over a river in Arunachal came down. Most of those who died because of drowning were children aged 10 to 15 years.
According to reports, the bridge over the Kameng river at Seppa in the East Kameng district of Arunachal gave way because of excessive load.
2009: 30 killed after under-construction bridge crashes in Kota
In December 2009, an under-construction cable-way bridge over the Chambal River in Rajasthan’s Kota collapsed killing 30 people.
The bridge was being constructed by South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Gammon India, which was blacklisted by the Delhi Metro after an accident in July 2009. Two engineers – one from Hyundai and the other from Gammon were arrested – for causing death because of negligence.
2006: 150-year-old bridge crash in Bihar kills 54
In December 2006, 34 people died after a 150-year-old bridge collapsed on the Howrah Jamalpur superfast train in Bihar’s Bhagalpur. A portion of the overbridge called “Ulta Pul” was being dismantled by the railways when it came crashing on a sleeper coach.
2005: 114 die in Andhra after rail bridge swept away, train derailed
A flash flood swept away a small rail bridge near the town of Valigonda in Andhra Pradesh, derailing a train. More than 114 people died and 200 were injured in the mishap.
The bridge was swept away due to the flash floods
Seven coaches of the Repalle-Secunderabad Delta Fast Passenger train derailed and fell into a rivulet between Ramannapet and Valigonda stations in Nalgonda District, 80 km from Hyderabad, in the early hours of 29 October. The first seven cars of the train fell into the water because of breaches on the track caused by the waters gushing from four overflowing reservoirs following incessant rains in the region over the last two days.
2003: Dilapidated bridge collapses in Daman, 25 killed
In August 25 people, including 22 children, died when nearly ten vehicles and pedestrians fell into the Damanganga river after a dilapidated bridge collapsed because of heavy rains in Daman and Diu. The children, in the age group of 10 to 15 years, were returning from school when the 100-year-old bridge gave way.
With inputs from agencies
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