The horrific bridge collapse incident that happened in the Morbi district of Gujarat has stunned the entire country. The incident led to the deaths of more than 100 people, and many people are still missing.
At the time of the incident, over 500 people were crossing the bridge, of which around 141 people have been reported dead . Multiple teams of NDRF, SDRF, Indian Army, and Coast Guard have been deployed for the rescue operation.
What Happened Exactly?
The century-old, British Era bridge, which was around 756 metres in length, was opened for the public on October 26, after undergoing a six-month long renovation.
This unfortunate incident took place on Saturday, October 30, at 06:40 pm when around 400 to 500 people, more than three times its capacity, were walking on the bridge. Suddenly, the bridge collapsed, and people fell into the Machchuu river.
Around 210 people are reported to have fallen into the river. The horrific and heartbreaking CCTV footage shows the images of people falling into the river. We can see people holding onto the cables of the collapsed bridge and trying to reach the bank of the river in darkness. Most of the people there were assembled for the Chhath Puja celebration.
WATCH | Horrific Bridge Collapse Caught On CCTV!#MorbiBridgeCollapse #MorbiBridge #Gujarat #GujaratBridgeCollapse #MorbiTragedy #BridgeCollapse #CCTV #CCTVFootage pic.twitter.com/G5VRgf4tD2
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 31, 2022
#ViralVideo: At least 91 killed as 140-year-old bridge collapses in #Morbi; #IAF, #Army and #Navy join rescue ops
Read More: https://t.co/16T1pqP9DO#Gujarat pic.twitter.com/BKclogb0Xm
— Firstpost (@firstpost) October 30, 2022
Who is responsible?
After this heartbreaking incident took place and the visuals of the collapsed bridge started circulating on social media, the opposition started targeting the ruling BJP government of the state of the incident and calling it a “man-made tragedy.”
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मोरबी पुल हादसे में गई अनगिनत जानों की दर्दनाक खबर ने पूरे देश का दिल दहला दिया है। सभी शोक संतप्त परिवारों को संवेदनाएं।
यह प्राकृतिक हादसा नहीं, मानव निर्मित त्रासदी है।
गुजरात की भाजपा सरकार इस जघन्य अपराध की सीधे सीधे दोषी है।#MorbiBridge https://t.co/TB4oSabC7h
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 30, 2022
#LeftRightCentre | AAP spokesperson @AkshayMarathe on Gujarat cable bridge collapse pic.twitter.com/NoSapwYGEa
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 30, 2022
Here are the tweets of political leaders on this incident.
Although #Modi in past dubbed Kolkata bridge collapse as “act of fraud”. Let us refrain from politics at the moment of such high human loss!
May god give strength to all the families, Om Shanthi 🙏 #MorbiBridge pic.twitter.com/zr4yEyiPpv
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) October 31, 2022
गुजरात के मोरबी में हुए पुल हादसे की खबर बेहद दुःखद है। ऐसे मुश्किल समय में मैं सभी शोकाकुल परिवारों को अपनी गहरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करता हूं।
सभी कांग्रेस कार्यकर्ताओं से अपील करता हूं कि दुर्घटना में घायल व्यक्तियों की हर संभव सहायता करें और लापता लोगों की तलाश में मदद करें।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 30, 2022
I am deeply concerned about the tragic bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, that has cost several innocent lives and left many trapped.
My deep condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery.
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 30, 2022
गुजरात से बेहद दुःखद खबर मिल रही है। मोरबी में ब्रिज टूट जाने से कई लोगों के नदी में गिर जाने की खबर है। भगवान से उनकी जान और स्वास्थ्य की प्रार्थना करता हूँ।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 30, 2022
Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel cancelled all his scheduled events for Sunday and reached the collapsed bridge sites as well as the hospitals where injured and rescued people are admitted.
#Update | Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reaches Morbi Civil Hospital where the patients injured in the #MorbiBridgeCollapse are admitted. | reported by news agency ANI pic.twitter.com/9Gdu9vayXU
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 30, 2022
PM Modi, who is touring his home state of Gujarat, also reacted to this incident. He announced compensation for those killed and injured in the accident. During a public gathering in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, the PM said that he never feels such pain and even though he is in Ekta Nagar, his mind is with the victims of Morbi.
મોરબી ખાતે થયેલ દુર્ઘટનાથી અત્યંત દુ:ખી છું. આ અંગે ગુજરાતના મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી @Bhupendrapbjp તથા અન્ય અધિકારીઓ સાથે વાત કરી. રાહત અને બચાવ કામગીરી પુરઝડપે ચાલી રહી છે તથા અસરગ્રસ્તોને તમામ આવશ્યક સહાય પૂરી પાડવામાં આવી રહી છે.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2022
I am in Ekta Nagar but my mind is with the victims of Morbi. Rarely in my life, would I have experienced such pain. On one hand, there is a pain-riddled heart and on the other hand, there is the path to duty: PM Modi in Gujarat | LIVE Updates – https://t.co/EiK7ZbKD8r pic.twitter.com/ohZoh6LPHH
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) October 31, 2022
Home Minister Amit Shah’s reaction on the tragedy.
मोरबी में हुए हादसे से अत्यंत दुखी हूँ। इस विषय में मैंने गुजरात के गृह राज्य मंत्री हर्ष संघवी व अन्य अधिकारियों से बात की है। स्थानीय प्रशासन पूरी तत्परता से राहत कार्य में लगा है, NDRF भी शीघ्र घटनास्थल पर पहुँच रही है। प्रशासन को घायलों को तुरंत उपचार देने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 30, 2022
