Videos: panic after collapse of a bridge in India that leaves more than 137 dead

At least 137 people died in India after a crowded colonial-era suspension bridge collapsed over a river in the state of Gujarati, Police reported Monday.

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Authorities said that about 500 people were on the bridge on Sunday celebrating a religious holidaywhen the cables that held the structure gave way.

Local police commander P. Dekavadiya said Monday afternoon that the death toll had risen to 137, including about 50 children, the youngest of whom was two years old. “I saw the bridge collapse before my eyes,” said a witness who worked through the night trying to rescue people.

“It was traumatic when a woman showed me a photo of her daughter and asked me if I had rescued her. I couldn’t tell her that her daughter had died,” added the witness, who did not give his name.

Another man identified as Supran told local media that the bridge was “at full capacity”.

“The cables were cut and the bridge fell in a second. People fell on top of each other and into the river,” he added.

Disseminated videos that have not yet been verified showed people hanging from the remains of the structure, in the dark, and other trying to swim to shore to get to safety.

No security certificate

The 233 meter suspension bridgebuilt in the era of the British mandate, had been opened this week to the public, after seven months of repair work.

The NDTV broadcaster reported that the bridge reopened on Wednesday despite not having a safety certificate and that images broadcast on Saturday showed it tottering. Authorities launched a rescue operation after the collapse with divers deployed to the area to find the missing.

Dozens of army and navy soldiers were involved in the rescue operation. Authorities planned to stop the water from the nearby control dam and use pumps to empty the river and speed up the search operation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modiwho was visiting Gujarati, announced compensation for the families of the victims and those injured in the accident. Modi urged “urgent mobilization of teams for rescue (operations),” his office tweeted.

“He has asked that the situation be closely and continuously monitored, and (that the authorities) extend all possible help to those affected,” he added. “Very rarely have I experienced such pain in my entire life,” the prime minister said.

Infrastructure accidents, including bridges, are common in India as many structures are old and suffer from lack of maintenance.

An overpass collapsed in 2016 in the middle of a busy street in the eastern city of Calcutta, leaving at least 26 dead.

Rescue teams pulled out about a hundred people from under the huge pieces of cement and metal. In 2011, at least 32 people were killed when a bridge packed with people attending a festival collapsed in the north-east of the country, about 30 kilometers from Darjeeling.

AFP

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