Death Toll in Bridge Collapse Hits 132

Many more were injured in India tragedy
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 30, 2022 2:20 PM CDT
Updated Oct 31, 2022 12:29 AM CDT
Crews Search for Survivors of Bridge Collapse
Rescuers work Sunday night at the site of a bridge collapse in India.   (AP Photo/Rajesh Ambaliya)

Update: The death toll in India's bridge collapse has risen to at least 132, the AP reports. Authorities said the century-old cable suspension pedestrian bridge collapsed because it could not handle the weight of the large crowd, as the Hindu festival season drew hundreds of people to the recently reopened tourist attraction. State minister Harsh Sanghvi said emergency responders and rescuers worked overnight to search for the survivors and those killed and injured were mostly teens, women, and older people. Videos on social media showed people clinging onto the metal cables of the partly submerged bridge in distress as emergency teams and rescuers used boats and inflatable tires to reach them. Our original story from Sunday follows:

At least 60 people died, and many are feared injured, after a cable bridge over a river in the western Indian state of Gujarat collapsed Sunday evening, throwing hundreds of people into the water, officials said. Authorities said the 19th-century, colonial-era bridge over the Machchu river in the Morbi district collapsed because it could not handle the weight of the large crowd. The bridge had been closed for renovation for almost six months and was reopened just four days ago, the AP reports. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were on the bridge, a major tourist attraction in the area, but officials fear the death toll could rise.

State minister Brijesh Merja told reporters that 60 people have died so far and that 17 people were admitted to hospitals. Merja said that emergency responders and rescue workers were searching for the survivors and that those killed and injured were mostly teens, women, and older people. "A rescue operation is underway," Merja was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. Videos on social media showed people clinging onto the metal cables of the partly submerged bridge in distress as emergency teams and rescuers used boats and inflatable tires to reach them. Some people were seen swimming ashore to safety. Others, who were fished from the waters, were carried away and transported to the hospitals in private vehicles and ambulances.

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Local news channels ran pictures of the missing shared by concerned relatives in search of their loved ones, per the AP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Gujarat on a visit, said he was "deeply saddened by the tragedy." His office announced compensation to the families of the dead and urged speedy rescue efforts. The state government said it has formed a special team to investigate the disaster.

(More bridge collapse stories.)

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