Morbi Bridge Collapse Leaves Over 130 Dead in India, Rescue Operations Under Way

(CTN News) – A hanging bridge erected over the Machhu dam in Gujarat’s Morbi district fell on Sunday evening, killing over 130 people—many women and children—and injuring hundreds more.

This accident spread terror throughout the country. One of the first people to notice the issue was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to Gujarat. He immediately ordered the quick mobilization of teams for rescue operations.

The wounded were taken directly to Morbi public hospital, while several dead were pulled from the river and transported for post-mortem examination.

Bhupendra Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat, hurried to Morbi to personally oversee the rescue efforts and medical assistance.

He also promised an ex gratia of Rs. 4 lakh for the surviving family members of the dead and Rs. 50,000 for the accident victims who needed financial assistance. The chief minister will probably set up camp in Morbi until the rescue efforts are complete.

Gujarat CM @Bhupendrapbjp reaches bridge collapse site#Morbi #Gujarat #News @Chaiti pic.twitter.com/2OQEeBYUyw

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 30, 2022

Even Prime Minister Modi offered a payout of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for each person who perished in the Morbi accident. The wounded will get 50,000 rupees.

Here is all you need to know about the tragic Morbi Bridge collapse.

1. The Indian Air Force (IAF) evacuated several teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Morbi to help in the rescue effort.

Additionally, a medical team from the Indian Army from an artillery unit in Dhrangdhra has arrived at the accident scene in Morbi and is taking part in rescue and relief operations.

2. A team of more than 40, including marine commandos and skilled swimmers, has been sent for rescue efforts from the Indian Naval Station Valsura in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

#MorbiBridgeCollapse | Indian Army teams deployed in Morbi, Gujarat carried out search and rescue operations for survivors of the mishap. All three defence services have deployed their teams for search operations: Defence officials pic.twitter.com/tfEjCW3MhE

— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2022

For rescue efforts in Jamnagar and other surrounding sites, helicopters have been placed on standby. From Bhuj and other places, Garud commandos have been sent to Morbi.

3. To investigate the collapse of the suspension bridge, the Gujarati government has established a five-person Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an IAS official.

Rajkumar Beniwal, the Commissioner of Municipalities, Sandeep Vasava, the Secretary of the Roads and Building Department, Subhash Trivedi, the Inspector General of Police, and two structural and quality control engineers will make up the SIT’s other members.

4. In the aftermath of the accident, some political events, including PM Modi’s open road show slated to take place in Ahmedabad tomorrow, have been postponed.

Even the Congress has decided to postpone tomorrow’s “Gujarat Parivartan Sankalp Yatra” in five zones of the state that is going to the polls.

5. Several influential politicians, such as President Droupadi Murmu, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Bengal Chief Mamata Banerjee, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, and others, expressed condolences over the terrible incident.

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