Bridge Collapse Kills Dozens in India's Gujarat State

At least 60 people died and others were feared trapped after a pedestrian suspension bridge collapsed into a river in Morbi, a city in India’s Gujarat state, on Sunday, October 30, according Indian media reports.

Around 400 people were on the bridge when cables snapped, according to Jignesh Mevani, a member of Gujarat’s legislative assembly.

Multiple videos taken at the scene and shared online showed people hanging onto the submerged bridge as it lay partially submerged in the Machchhu River.

This footage, released by the government of Gujarat, shows Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat’s Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi inspecting rescue and relief operations before visiting victims in a hospital.

Officials in Morbi district said at least 170 people were rescued by authorities.

Chief Minister Patel said rescue operations were being carried out with help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police, and India’s armed forces. More than 30 ambulances, six boats, and seven fire engines were dispatched to the bridge, the Gujarat government said.

According to the Times of India, the bridge, which first opened in 1879, had reopened to the public in recent days after six months of renovation work. Credit: Government of Gujarat via Storyful