India Bridge Collapse Toll Jumps to 134, Police Detain Nine

Rescuers on boats search in the Machchu river next to a pedestrian bridge that collapsed in Morbi town of western state Gujarat, India, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP)
Rescuers on boats search in the Machchu river next to a pedestrian bridge that collapsed in Morbi town of western state Gujarat, India, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP)
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India Bridge Collapse Toll Jumps to 134, Police Detain Nine

Rescuers on boats search in the Machchu river next to a pedestrian bridge that collapsed in Morbi town of western state Gujarat, India, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP)
Rescuers on boats search in the Machchu river next to a pedestrian bridge that collapsed in Morbi town of western state Gujarat, India, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP)

The death toll from a suspension bridge collapse in India rose to 134 on Monday, including many children, as police detained nine people as part of a criminal investigation into one of the deadliest accidents in the country in the past 10 years.

Footage from just before the collapse showed a group of young men taking photos while others tried to rock the bridge from side to side, before they tumbled into the river below as the cables holding it together gave way.

Police in the western state of Gujarat, where the disaster occurred, told Reuters they had detained nine people after registering a criminal case against unnamed people responsible for the renovation, maintenance and management of the bridge. Senior police official Ashok Yadav said details of the detained people would be revealed later in the day.

Local officials told Reuters that the manager of the bridge, a maker of clocks and electrical items, had not informed the authorities that the bridge would be reopened last week after repairs, adding that no fitness certificate had been issued.

The colonial-era footbridge over the Machchhu River in the center of Morbi town was packed with sightseers enjoying holiday festivities when it collapsed on Sunday evening, plunging people about 10 meters (33 feet) into the river.

Some 400 people had bought tickets to get onto the bridge to celebrate the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals.

About 35 victims were under 14, according to a list of the deceased seen by Reuters. About 170 people had been rescued by the morning.

"People were hanging from the bridge after the accident, but they slipped and fell into the river when it collapsed," said Raju, an eyewitness who gave only one name. "I could not sleep the entire night as I had helped in the rescue operation. I brought a lot of children to the hospital."

Senior government official NK Muchhar said the death toll had gone up to 134. Another official said at the site that the river's muddy waters were hampering rescue work and that there might be people trapped under the mangled remains of the bridge.

Overcrowding

Gujarat-based electrical appliances maker Oreva group, known for its Ajanta clocks, had been in charge of maintaining the bridge for 15 years, said Sandeepsinh Zala, the chief officer of Morbi municipality.

"They did not give us any information that they were reopening the bridge," Zala said. "We have not issued any fitness certificate to them."

Jayrajsinh Jadeja, a local lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, blamed Oreva for selling tickets without restrictions and said overcrowding led to the bridge collapse.

The bridge was previously maintained by the local municipality, which limited the number of people on the bridge at one time to 20, he said.

An Oreva spokesperson did not answer calls and text messages from Reuters.

The Indian Express newspaper quoted an Oreva spokesperson as saying: "While we are waiting for more information, prima facie, the bridge collapsed as too many people in the mid-section of the bridge were trying to sway it from one way to the other."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the former chief minister of Gujarat, expressed his condolences to the victims' families.

"In this hour of grief, the government is with the bereaved families in every manner," he said.

The bridge is 1.25 meters (4.1 feet) wide and spans 233 meters (255 yards) connecting the Darbargadh Palace heritage hotel and the town. It was built in 1877 when India was a British colony.

Opposition politicians in Gujarat, where elections are due by early next year, said the disaster exposed the lack of oversight of infrastructure in the country.

"Not just extremely sad on bridge collapse in Morbi but also very angry. Because it was a tragedy in waiting," Gurdeep Singh Sappal, a member of the Congress party, wrote on Twitter. "For some time now, bridge collapse, roads caving-in, dams breaching are happening quite often."



Iran, Israel Each Present Own 'Narratives' about Impact of Strikes

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on October 26, 2024, shows an Israeli fighter jet departing a hangar at an undisclosed location in Israel. (Photo by AFP)
This handout picture released by the Israeli army on October 26, 2024, shows an Israeli fighter jet departing a hangar at an undisclosed location in Israel. (Photo by AFP)
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Iran, Israel Each Present Own 'Narratives' about Impact of Strikes

This handout picture released by the Israeli army on October 26, 2024, shows an Israeli fighter jet departing a hangar at an undisclosed location in Israel. (Photo by AFP)
This handout picture released by the Israeli army on October 26, 2024, shows an Israeli fighter jet departing a hangar at an undisclosed location in Israel. (Photo by AFP)

Iran and Israel are both vying to assert or deny the success of the recent attack launched by Tel Aviv on Iran in achieving its objectives, amidst sharp discrepancies in information regarding the strikes and the targeted locations.
In its latest attack on Iran, Israel said it took out most of its missile defense systems and obliterated multiple radar systems that are needed to guide the same ballistic missiles that were fired at Israel in April and on Oct. 1 when Iran fired 181 ballistic missiles at Israel.
“Removing the radar systems prevents Iran from firing those missiles in the future”, the US Fox News quoted senior Israeli and American officials as saying.
On October 26, 2024, the Israeli military launched "precise and targeted" strikes on missile manufacturing sites and other aerial capabilities in Iran in response to the attack launched by Tehran on Israel earlier this month, threatening Tehran with making it "pay a heavy price" if it decided to retaliate.
S-300 Missile Defense Systems Destroyed
Fox News also reported that “Israel took out three of Iran's Russian-made S-300 missile defense systems during last week's retaliatory strike”.
Many believe the Israeli strike targeted critical military infrastructure, delivering both a “symbolic and tactical” blow to Iran’s strategic capabilities. However, Iranian leader Ali Khamenei commented, saying, "One should not underestimate the significance of the attack."
Fox News quoted President Biden's advisor for the Middle East, Amos Hochstein, as saying that "Iran is essentially naked" with no more missile defense.
A senior Israeli official said that removing the radar systems prevents Iran from firing those missiles in the future.
At the start of the year, Iran only had four S300 surface-to-air missile systems. In April, Israel took out one of the missile systems in response to Iran's first ballistic missile attack. A senior US official confirmed the airstrikes took out the three S-300 missile systems, reported Fox News.
"Our message is very, very clear... ‘Any threat, anywhere, at any time, we will know how to reach it, we will know how to strike,’" said Chief of the Israeli army General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi.
Halevi emphasized that Israel had only deployed a portion of its capabilities, suggesting that further actions could be taken should Iran escalate.
Production of Missiles “Unaffected”
For its part, Iran’s Defense Minister Nasir Zadeh confirmed that missile production in Iran has not faced any disruptions.
“The production of our defense systems, including missiles, has not encountered any problems or disruptions” he said on the sidelines of a government meeting on Wednesday, according to the Tasnim news agency.
He added that firing at Iranian territory is considered an aggression which will not be tolerated and will be met with a firm response.