Indian Police Arrest Nine People Over Morbi Bridge Collapse: Opened Without Coordination, Highlights Number Of Tourists

JAKARTA - Nine people were taken into custody by Indian Police on Monday, including ticket officers and contractors, as they investigated the collapse of a spring bridge that killed at least 134 people, including many children.

CCTV footage shortly before the collapse showed a group of youths taking photos, while others tried to shake the suspension bridge in Morbi from side to side, before they fell into the river below as cables broke.

The colonial-era bridge over the Machchhu River was packed with tourists enjoying holiday celebrations when it collapsed on Sunday evening, plunging people about 10 meters (33 feet) into the water.

Victim witness Ashwin Mehra, who is undergoing treatment after sustaining leg and back injuries, said he and six others had reached the beach holding on to the bridge's iron railings and nets.

"There were about 15-20 boys aged between 20-25 years shaking the bridge," he told Reuters TV partner ANI, as quoted November 1.

"We heard some noise three times, and the sixth time the cable suddenly broke," he continued.

Meanwhile, senior government officials N.K. Muchhar said the death toll had reached 134 people. Another official said at the site, muddy river water was hampering rescue work and that people might be trapped under the rubble of the bridge.

A senior police official said nine people had been arrested, including managerial staff, ticket officers and three security guards, for failing to regulate the crowd before the bridge collapsed.

Around 400 people have bought tickets to climb onto the bridge, to celebrate Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals.

Two people who were awarded a contract to repair the structure, which was originally built in 1877, were among those arrested, Ashok Kumar Yadav said. He said there would likely be more arrests.

Local officials told Reuters that Oreva, a company that makes clocks and electrical goods in charge of the bridge, had not notified authorities it would reopen last week after repairs, adding there was no certificate that the bridge was fit for repair. published in general use.

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

The Indian Express newspaper quoted a spokesperson for Oreva as saying: "While we await further information, prima facie, the bridge collapsed due to too many people in the middle of the bridge trying to sway from one way to another."

Oreva, a Gujarat-based company, has been in charge of maintaining the bridge for 15 years, said Sandeepsinh Zala, chief official of Morbi Municipality.

"They didn't give us any information that they would reopen the bridge. We haven't issued any certificates to them," Zala explained.

Jayrajsinh Jadeja, a local MP from the Bharatiya Janata Party, blamed Oreva for selling tickets without restrictions and said overcrowding caused the bridge to collapse.

The bridge was previously managed by the local city government, which limited the number of people on the bridge at any one time to 20, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat, the state where the disaster occurred, will visit the small industrial city on Tuesday, a lawmaker said.

The British colonial heritage bridge, which was inaugurated on February 20, 1879, is 1.25 meters (4 feet) wide and spans 233 meters (255 yards) and connects the heritage hotel Darbargadh Palace and the city.