A colonial-era suspension bridge that crossed the Machchhu river in the Gujarati town of Morbi fell on October 30 in the evening, killing at least 90 people. Hospitals are hosting more than 100 injured patients.
More than 350 people were jammed onto the bridge, which had just reopened four days before following repairs and renovations by a private operator, when it collapsed, according to officials. According to reports, civic authorities have not given the bridge a fitness certificate.
Due to the Deepavali holiday and the fact that it was a Sunday, there was a large crowd on the bridge, a popular tourist destination. To oversee the rescue, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and his ministerial colleagues hurried to Morbi. Airlifting teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the Navy, and the Air Force to the scene to aid in the rescue has been ordered. During his three-day visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the Gujarat Chief Minister the order to immediately mobilise teams for rescue operations.
The Prime Minister declared that the next of kin of each of the deceased would receive an ex-gratia payment of 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The hurt parties will receive 50,000. The Chief Minister offered an ex-gratia of Rs. 4 lakh for each deceased person’s ancestors and Rs. 50,000 for each injured person.