More than 140 people died after the cable bridge in Gujarat collapsed yesterday
New Delhi:
Sources in India’s leading forensic laboratory said the cable bridge over the Machhu River in Morbi of Gujarat broke due to the overcrowding of people. The colonial-era bridge, closed for repairs for seven months, collapsed yesterday, killing 141 people.
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Forensic officers used gas cutters to collect structural samples, the sources said. They found that the overwhelming influx of people overloaded and undermined the structural integrity of the newly renovated cable bridge, the sources said.
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Footage shortly before the collapse showed a group of people taking pictures while others tried to sway the bridge before they fell into the river as metal cables gave way.
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Various old videos on social media, believed to have been filmed prior to the renovation, also show dozens of people jumping and running across the bridge, apparently in a deliberate attempt to shake the structure for fun .
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The Oreva group, a watch manufacturer based in Gujarat, has been working on repairing the centuries-old bridge. It reopened the bridge on October 26, Gujarati New Year, after taking seven months to repair.
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A 15-year contract between the Morbi city authority and Ajanta Manufacturing Pvt Ltd, a division of the Oreva group, allows Oreva to maintain the bridge and collect money in the form of tickets, up to a maximum of Rs 17 per person.
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The watchmaker is said to have outsourced the “technical aspect of the renovation” to a smaller construction company, Devprakash Solutions.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in his home state of Gujarat, where parliamentary elections are due at the end of the year, said today he would “leave no stone” to the relief of survivors. injured and the families of those killed in the tragedy.
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Morbi city agency director Sandeepsinh Zala said Oreva had not informed authorities about the reopening of the bridge and that the company had not been issued a certificate of fitness to do so. Oreva officials did not respond to the allegation.
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Jaysukhbhai Patel, CEO of Oreva Group, told reporters on October 24: “If everyone acts responsibly without damaging the property, this renovation can last for a long time. next 15 years.
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There were nearly 500 people on the suspension bridge when the cable broke, sending hundreds of people falling into the river. According to officials, the bridge can only accommodate about 125 people.
