Morbi bridge tragedy: Death toll mounts to 134; more bodies fished out of river

The death toll in Morbi suspension bridge collapse in Gujarat rose to 134 on Monday with rescue personnel recovering more bodies from the Machchhu river a police official saidThe over a centuryold bridge which had reopened five days ago after extensive repairs and renovation was crammed with people when it collapsed around 630 pm on SundayAt least 134 deaths have been reported so far the official saidGujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi told reporters at Morbi around 300 km from the state capital that the state government has formed a committee to probe the collapseEyewitnesses said there were several women and children on the British era hanging bridge when it snapped plunging them into the water belowSome people were seen jumping on the bridge and pulling its big wires an eyewitness said adding the bridge may have collapsed due to the huge crowd on itAlso read PM Modi lays foundation of C295 aircraft manufacturing facility in VadodaraAfter the collapse all that remained of the bridge was part of the metal carriageway hanging down from one end into the dark 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 rescuedSanghavi said a fivemember highpowered committee has been formed to probe the bridge collapse It includes Roads and Buildings department secretary Sandeep Vasava and four other senior officersAn FIR was lodged in the bridge collapse under sections 304 culpable homicide not amounting to murder 308 intentional act causing death and 114 abettor present when offence committed against whoever is found responsible Sanghavi saidDue to the Diwali vacation and being a Sunday there was a rush of tourists on the bridge a major tourist attractionA private operator had carried out the repair work of the bridge for nearly six months before it was reopened to the public on the Gujarati New Year Day on October 26It was opened to the public after the completion of the renovation work But the local municipality had not yet issued any fitness certificate after the renovation work an official saidChief Minister Bhupendra Patel reached the accident site late in the night and also met those injured at the civil hospitalThe state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50000 for the injuredThe National Disaster Response Force rushed three teams to Morbi districtFollowing the accident Modi has cancelled his road show scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad 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 they addedThis 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