GUJARAT, INDIA – OCTOBER 30: A view of the location after a suspension bridge collapses in Indiaâs Gujarat state on October 30, 2022. Lots of plunged into river after the bridge collapsed. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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At the very least 60 people died and plenty of are feared injured after a cable bridge over a river within the western Indian state of Gujarat collapsed Sunday evening, throwing tons of of individuals within the water, officials said.
Authorities said the Nineteenth-century, colonial-era bridge over the Machchu river within the state’s Morbi district collapsed since it couldn’t handle the load of the massive crowd. The bridge had been closed for renovation for nearly six months and was reopened just 4 days ago.
It was not immediately clear exactly how many individuals were on the bridge, a significant tourist attraction in the world, but officials fear the death toll could rise. State minister Brijesh Merja told reporters that 60 people have died up to now and that 17 people were admitted to hospitals.
Merja said emergency responders and rescue staff were trying to find the survivors and people killed and injured were mostly teens, women and older people.
“A rescue operation is underway,” Merja was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. “There are reports that several people have suffered injuries. They’re being rushed to hospitals.”
Videos on social media showed people clinging onto the metal cables of the partly submerged bridge in distress as emergency teams and rescuers used boats and inflatable tires to achieve them. Some people were seen swimming ashore to safety. Others, who were fished from the waters, were carried away and transported to the hospitals in private vehicles and ambulances.
Local news channels ran pictures of the missing shared by concerned relatives in quest of their family members.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s in his home state of Gujarat on a three-day visit, said he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy.” His office announced compensation to the families of the dead and urged for quick rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, the state government said it has formed a special team to research the disaster.
The bridge collapse is Asia’s third major disaster in a month.
On Saturday, a Halloween crowd surge killed greater than 150 mostly young people who attended festivities in Itaewon, a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. On Oct. 1, police in Indonesia fired tear gas at a soccer match, causing a crush that killed 132 people as spectators attempted to flee.