Dozens feared dead after suspension bridge collapses in Gujarat’s Morbi

Dozens of people have died after more than 350 people have fallen into the Machchhu river when a cab

The State government has officially not given any casualty figure but the Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia for the dead and the injured.

As the casualty numbers are rising, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other Ministerial colleagues are rushing to Morbi to oversee rescue works by state agencies.

Authorities have launched a rescue operation amidst chaos at the site after the colonial era bridge was reopened after repair and renovation on October 26.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Gujarat for three-day visit, directed the Gujarat Chief Minister to mobilise teams on urgent basis for rescue work. Mr. Patel has informed that the local administration has already launched the rescue operation and the injured persons are being taken to the hospitals.

The Prime Minister has also announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given ₹50,000.

The colonial era bridge was originally built by the erstwhile princely state of Morbi and the bridge was considered a marvel of British engineering. Locally, it was called Julto Pool and was one of the tourist attractions of Morbi, a major industrial town with thousands of factories making ceramic tiles and bathroom products and wall clocks.

The state authorities have dispatched emergency rescue teams from neighbouring districts to Morbi to join the rescue efforts hampered by the dark and heavy water into the river.