145 Years Old Bridge in India Collapsed
Morbi, India (October 30) – A number of 141 lives were lost due to a collapsed accident in Morbi Suspension Bridge. The majority of the casualties were women, children and seniors. Local officers stated that the bridge was overcrowding at the time as people were celebrating the Diwali festival.
What you should know about Morbi Suspension Bridge
Morbin Suspension Bridge has been built since British rule in 19th Century and is 230 meters (755 feet) long with 1.25 meters (4 feet) wide. It is a type of bridge where the deck is suspended from vertical suspenders underneath suspension wires. It has been a popular tourist destination for decades. The town’s cobblestone streets still carry the architectural legacy of colonial rule. The bridge has recently gone under maintenance for 6 months and just opened last week.
People were wondering how could a recently repaired bridge caused this incident? Wasn’t it just opened last week?
Oreva, a private firm that was responsible for doing the repairs of the Morbi bridge. According to a reopening ceremony online video (October 26), the managing director told the reporters that the bridge structure wouldn’t require any major repairs for “eight to ten years”. For the operation and maintenance of the bridge, a 15-year contract has been signed with the firm, started in March 2022 until 2037.
Oreva began as a clockmaker before branching out into electronics company. The company is referred to as “World’s Largest Clock Manufacturing Company” and “one of the Major Brands in India.” This leads to people’s confusions cause why would a clock company was given such a big deal as repairing over a century bridge.
Around 400 people were standing on the pedestrian suspension bridge when it collapsed
Authorities have confirmed 141 people has lost their lives and dozens more have been injured after a bridge collapsed. Among 141 people who died, 47 of them were children. There are at least 177 survivors and search operations are still on going for the remaining missing.
According to the state fire services chief, at least two people have been reported missing after the October 30 collapse of a suspension bridge across a river in Morbi, Gujarat.
“More could exist. There is no precise estimate, but many people are reporting that their relatives are gone.”, said officer NK Bishnoi. The search has been assisted with deploying more scuba divers and sonar technology to detect any electronic devices inside the river.
What caused the bridge to collapse?
The investigating officer that presented the forensic report in court stated that the flooring was replaced at the time of renovation. A police officer reported that the wire was rusted and it was not replaced during the repairs. It is possible that the original wires could not support the weight of new flooring.
Reports stated that the incident happened on 18:40 India time (13:10 GMT). It began with a loud sound of the bridge breaking. After the collapse, people surrounding rushed to the spot and started rescuing people. Through one of videos that posted online, it shows the bridge was crowded with people, swaying and many of them were gripping onto the netting on its sides.
The minute the bridge snapped, people were falling into the river and some people clinging onto the bits of the bridge. Some people were swimming but others were drowning. A survivor said that it was difficult for them to move due to the crowd. Also several victims might get crushed under the debris of the bridges.
