As rescuers laboured through the night searching the Machhu river for survivors, the death toll from the collapse of a colonial-era suspension bridge in India’s western Gujarat state has increased to 132, according to officials.
The number of fatalities increased from 68 on Sunday to 132 early on Monday, according to Gujarat’s home minister Harsh Sanghavi.
According to Gujarat’s Information Department, 177 individuals have now been saved, and 19 are undergoing medical attention.
The bridge in Morbi, a town about 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat, was constructed in the 19th century during British control and was closed for over six months before it was reopened to the public last week.
Television footage showed dozens of people clinging onto the cables and twisted remains of the bridge as emergency teams struggled to rescue them.
Some climbed the collapsed building in an effort to reach the riverbanks, while others swam to safety. The victims included a number of kids.
After falling from the bridge, Prateek Vasava swam to the river’s edge and reported what he observed to the Gujarati-language news station 24 Hours.
He claimed that several of them had drowned or been washed away when he tried to drag them along with him.
He claimed that the bridge came down in a matter of seconds.
Another eyewitness identified as Sukram told the news agency Reuters that the bridge had fallen because it could not support the weight of so many people.
“Many kids came here as tourists while enjoying their holidays for Diwali. They all collapsed on top of one another. Overload caused the bridge to collapse, he claimed.
The government of Gujarat declared that a probe into the disaster’s cause was ongoing.
According to the report, more than 200 rescue personnel had been enlisted in the search and rescue effort.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered a payout of 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,428) to the relatives of the deceased while on a three-day visit to his home state of Gujarat.
He tweeted that the injured would receive 50,000 Indian Rupees ($607).
Other countries that expressed sympathy for the disaster included Sri Lanka, Armenia, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, and Sri Lanka.
The foreign ministry of Italy voiced its “deep grief,” “condolences for the fatalities, and our sincerest sympathies to their families and all the [Indian] people at this tragic time.”
The UAE said it stood in “solidarity with India”, while Sri Lanka said it was “shocked and distressed by the tragic accident in Morbi”.
