A 100-year–old suspension bridge in India fell on Sunday, killing at least 60 people, a senior official said.
Earlier reports said the death toll may be as high as 50 or 60, with another 100 injured, but a minister confirmed that 60 people were killed. Informaion Guide Nigeria
“Sixty people have died. More than 80 have been rescued,” Brijesh Merja, a minister in the state government of Gujarat where the disaster happened, told AFP.
Nearly 500 people, including women and children, were reportedly congregated on and around the bridge when the cables sustaining it collapsed, causing the entire structure to collapse into the river.
The bridge is in Morbi, approximately 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Gujarat’s capital, Ahmedabad.
Local media reported that officials said individuals atop the bridge were practising rites for a major religious celebration when it collapsed into the Machchhu river.
Citing local health officials, the Press Trust of India claimed that at least 32 people were killed.
More than a hundred people were reportedly still missing in the river, with videos showing individuals clinging to the ruins of the structure in the dark, which could not be reliably confirmed.
After seven months of repairs, the suspension bridge built during the British rule reopened to the public on Wednesday.
Divers were dispatched to hunt for missing people as authorities initiated a rescue effort in response to the collapse.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a trip of his home state of Gujarat, promised compensation for the accident victims.
Modi “sought urgent mobilisation of teams for rescue (operations)”, his office tweeted.
“He has asked that the situation be closely and continuously monitored, and (for authorities to) extend all possible help to those affected.”
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Nearly 500 people, including women and children, were reportedly congregated on and around the bridge when the cables sustaining it collapsed, causing the entire structure to collapse into the river.
The bridge is in Morbi, approximately 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Gujarat’s capital, Ahmedabad.
Local media reported that officials said individuals atop the bridge were practising rites for a major religious celebration when it collapsed into the Machchhu river.
Citing local health officials, the Press Trust of India claimed that at least 32 people were killed.
More than a hundred people were reportedly still missing in the river, with videos showing individuals clinging to the ruins of the structure in the dark, which could not be reliably confirmed.
After seven months of repairs, the suspension bridge built during the British rule reopened to the public on Wednesday.
Divers were dispatched to hunt for missing people as authorities initiated a rescue effort in response to the collapse.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a trip of his home state of Gujarat, promised compensation for the accident victims. Jamb Result
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