At least 137 dead in India after the collapse of a suspension bridge

At least 137 people have died in India after a crowded colonial-era suspension bridge collapsed over a river in Gujarat state, police said Monday.

Authorities said about 500 people were on the bridge celebrating a religious holiday on Sunday when the cables holding 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 others trying to swim to the shore to be safe.

No security certificate

The 233-meter suspension bridge, built in the British mandate era, had been opened to the public this week, 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 Modi, who was visiting Gujarat, 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 northeast of the country, about 30 kilometers from Darjeeling.