Bridge Collapses in India leaving 81 Diwali worshippers dead, one week after it was reopened.
TSB News reports major rescue operation is underway after a cable bridge collapsed in the Morbi area of Gujarat, Western India, on Sunday leaving at least 81 people dead.
At the time there were approximately 400 people on or around the pedestrian suspension bridge over the country’s Machhu River, authorities said.
State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said this included more than 150 people on the narrow bridge at the time.
At least another 30 people have been confirmed as injured in the tragedy, and a number of those killed are children.
Rescue efforts are continuing into the night with dozens said to be unaccounted for.
Hundreds were plunged into the water below near the town of Morbi while dozens more were left clinging onto the bridge’s twisted wreck to await rescue.
Video footage shows people holding onto the bridge as emergency services struggled to rescue them.
Emergency workers flooded to the scene, including 50 navy personnel and 30 air force officials, along with a national disaster management team to trace missing people, the government said in a statement.
A five-member team specialising in infrastructure was appointed to conduct an investigation into the disaster.
Some of those who plunged into the water clambered up the broken structure to try to make their way to the river banks, while others swam to safety.
Prateek Vasava, who swam to the river bank after falling from the bridge, told 24 Hours Gujarati-language news channel that he witnessed several children drop into the river.
‘I wanted to pull some of them along with me but they had drowned or got swept away,’ he said.
The bridge had collapsed in just a few seconds, he said.
‘Many children were enjoying holidays for Diwali and they came here as tourists.
‘All of them fell one on top of another. The bridge collapsed due to overloading,’ said one witness, who gave his name as Sukram.