Morbi bridge collapse toll rises to 134; cops arrest 4 people

The death toll from a suspension bridge collapse in Gujarats Morbi town mounted to 134 on Monday officials said as police arrested four persons and filed a case against firms tasked with maintenance and operation of the Britishera structure as part of a criminal investigation into the tragedy that has shocked the countryA day after the bridge packed with visitors came crashing down sending people tumbling into the river below rescue operation continued as authorities looked for survivorsGujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi remained in Morbi during the night to oversee the rescue operation being conducted by multiple agenciesThe more than a centuryold bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi located around 300 km from the state capital Gandhinagar had reopened five days ago after extensive repairs and renovation It was crammed with people when it collapsed around 630 pm on SundayThe death toll in the bridge collapse incident has gone up to 134 Rajkot Range Inspector General Ashok Yadav told PTIThe state information department said five teams of the National Disaster Response Force NDRF six platoons of the State Disaster Response Force SDRF a team of the Air Force two columns of the Army and two teams of the Indian Navy apart from local rescue teams were involved in the operationThe rescue operation was still on Yadav saidSanghavi told reporters the state government has formed a committee to conduct a probe into the bridge collapseFour persons were arrested on Monday in connection with a case related to the collapse of the bridge police saidAlso Read Morbi bridge collapse Gujarat govt must be held responsible says NCP leaderWe have arrested four persons so far and further investigation is going on Yadav saidHe refused to elaborate saying the police will soon brief the mediaPolice have registered an FIR first information report on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and attempt to commit culpable homicide against agencies given the task of maintenance and operation of the bridgeIn the FIR lodged at the Morbi B division police station on Sunday night police have shown agencies responsible for maintenance and management of the hanging bridge as the main accusedThe FIR lodged by B division police inspector Prakash Dekivadia stated that the bridge over the Machchhu river was not in use for nearly eight months as the local administration had roped in a private agency for its maintenanceAfter completion of the maintenance the agency opened the bridge for the public on October 26 the FIR saidAs per the FIR the incident took place because of the callous approach of the agency peopleThe FIR further stated that persons concerned or agencies did not pay attention to the quality of maintenance as well as repair work of the bridgeThe bridge was opened for tourists by the agency despite knowing that their callous approach in the maintenance and management of the bridge may lead to human deaths the FIR statedWe have lodged an FIR and trying to establish contact with the Oreva companys staff who were on duty at the bridge yesterday SP Rahul Tripathi saidPrime Minister Narendra Modi who is on a tour of pollbound Gujarat remembered those who died in the tragedyHe paid tributes to Indias first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Narmada districtI am in Kevadia but my heart goes out to those who died in the Morbi Bridge collapse tragedy the PM said as he got emotionalTroupes from across country had come to Kevadia to perform traditional dances but the programme was cancelled due to the present circumstances he saidEyewitnesses said there were several women and children on the Britishera hanging bridge when it snapped plunging them into the water belowApart from locals people from nearby cities and villages had also come to the bridge on a holiday when it collapsedDue to the Diwali vacation and being a Sunday there was a rush of tourists on the bridge a major tourist attractionBefore the tragedy occurred some people were seen jumping on the bridge and pulling its big wires an eyewitness said adding that the bridge may have collapsed due to the huge crowd on itPeople fell over each other when the bridge collapsed he said Several of the victims were seen hanging by the edge of the bridge to prevent themselves from slipping into the riverAfter the collapse all that remained of the bridge was part of the metal carriageway hanging down from one end into the river water its thick cables snapped in placesAt the local hospital people formed a human chain to hold back crowds and keep the road clear for ambulances which brought those rescuedA private operator had carried out the repair work of the bridge for nearly seven months before it was reopened for the public on the Gujarati New Year day on October 26The bridge was reopened after a private inaugural event and was yet to receive the municipalitys fitness certificate a civic official saidFollowing the accident Modi cancelled his road show scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad on Monday ahead of the state Assembly polls BJP sources saidA page committee sammelan scheduled to be held on Tuesday in Modis virtual presence has been put off the sources addedThe Congress said its Parivartan Sankalp Yatra which was to be taken out from five zones across the state on Monday was postponed by a day following the tragedyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever