A nearly century-old suspension bridge on Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi city collapsed on Sunday, October 30. Hundreds of people fell into the river and were trapped under the structure, and reports state that as many as 500 people who were standing on the bridge are feared missing. The bridge, which was recently reopened for the public after renovation on October 26, collapsed as it could not bear the weight of the people standing on it, they said.
"Due to the bridge collapse, several people fell into the river. A rescue operation is underway. There are reports that several people have suffered injuries. They are being rushed to hospitals," local MLA and state minister Brijesh Merja said.
Responding to the mishap, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation and said that he had spoken to the Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel and asked for urgent mobilisation of rescue ops to the site. Taking to his Twitter account, the Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives in the mishap in Morbi. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.
મોરબી ખાતે થયેલ દુર્ઘટનાથી અત્યંત દુ:ખી છું. આ અંગે ગુજરાતના મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી @Bhupendrapbjp તથા અન્ય અધિકારીઓ સાથે વાત કરી. રાહત અને બચાવ કામગીરી પુરઝડપે ચાલી રહી છે તથા અસરગ્રસ્તોને તમામ આવશ્યક સહાય પૂરી પાડવામાં આવી રહી છે.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2022
According to eyewitnesses, there were several women and children on the hanging bridge when it snapped. Further details are awaited.