Morbi Bridge collapse in India: 9 people arrested for bridge collapse that killed 134 people


New Delhi
CNN

Nine people arrested suspension bridge collapse in the western Indian state of Gujarat, which killed at least 134 people on Sunday, police said.

The suspects are all connected to Oreva, a Gujarat-based electrical appliance manufacturer that was performing maintenance on a 230-meter bridge in the town of Morbi, senior police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav told reporters on Monday. The bridge was opened only last week after repairs.

The nine included two managers, two ticket offices, two contractors and three security guards, Yadav said.

The suspects are being investigated for murder not amounting to murder, Yadav said, adding that a special investigation team is looking into the incident.

At least 134 people, including 30 children, were killed when a narrow bridge collapsed into a river around 6:30 p.m. local time Sunday night, as local residents of the coastal town joined in the Diwali celebration.

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi estimated that there were about 200 people on the bridge at the time, who said the cable at one end appeared to have snapped.

Indian rescuers carry out search operations after the collapse of a bridge across the Machchhu River in Morbi, about 220 km from Ahmedabad, in the early morning of October 31, 2022.

The bridge, built over a century ago, is only 1.25 meters (four feet) wide and overhangs the Machchu River, forming a gateway to Morbi, a city that still bears the architectural legacy of British rule.

Photos from Monday’s scene show people gathering on the riverbank next to a mangled metal walkway dangling at an acute angle into the water.

The search, involving hundreds of members of state and national disaster relief teams and the Indian military, is due to resume on Tuesday, district official Vishal Kanjaria told CNN.

A total of 170 people had been rescued as of Monday evening, according to Vishal Kanjaria, an administrative official in the Morbi district. Some remain in the hospital while others have returned home, although the exact condition is still unknown.

Speaking at a press conference early Monday morning, Sangawi did not say how many people were missing, but a social media video showed dozens of people in the water after the bridge collapsed.

TV footage shows people holding cables and the remains of the bridge as emergency crews try to reach them, Reuters reported. Some climbed the ruined structure to reach the banks of the river, while others swam to safety.

Rescuers conduct search operations on October 31, 2022.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the families of the victims will receive compensation from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

Speaking at a campaign event ahead of state elections in Gujarat on Monday, Modi said his “heart is filled with love and with the families of those who are suffering.”

“The state government has set up a commission to investigate the incident. I assure the people of the country that there will be no shortage of relief and rescue efforts,” Modi said.

People gather as rescuers search for survivors of the collapse of a suspension bridge at Morbi in the western state of Gujarat, India, October 31, 2022.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the state government would provide compensation of about $5,000 for the family of the deceased and about $600 for each injured person.

“I express my condolences to the families of the citizens who died as a result of the tragedy,” he wrote on Twitter.