Nine people were arrested by the Indian police and are being investigated after a newly repaired 143-year-old suspension bridge collapsed killing at least 14 people. The collapse is the worst in the country’s history, reports say.
After the harrowing incident, and while families mourn their dead, attention turned to why the pedestrian bridge collapsed and who might be responsible.
Inspector-General Ashok Yadav said police have formed a special investigative team, and that those arrested include managers of the bridge’s operator, Oreva Group, and its staff.
“We won’t let the guilty get away, we won’t spare anyone,” Yadav said.
Gujarat authorities opened a case against Oreva for suspected culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide and other violations.
The local Morbi town government awarded a 15-year contract earlier in the year to maintain and manage the bridge to Oreva, a group of companies known primarily for making clocks, mosquito zappers and electric bikes. The same month, Oreva closed the bridge, which spans a wide section of the Machchu River, for repairs. The bridge has been repaired several times in the past and many of its original parts have been replaced over the years.
A Morbi official, Sandeepsinh Zala, told the Indian Express newspaper the company reopened the bridge without first obtaining a “fitness certificate.” His statement could not be verified, but officials said they were investigating.
The bridge collapsed under the weight of hundreds of people. Security footage of the disaster showed it shaking violently and people trying to hold on to its cables and metal fencing before the aluminum walkway gave way and crashed into the river. The bridge split in the middle with its walkway hanging down, its cables snapped. At least 134 people were confirmed dead and many others were admitted to hospitals in critical condition. Most of the victims were teenagers, women and older people.
The bridge collapse was Asia’s third major disaster involving large crowds in a month.
Safety problems have marred India’s infrastructure over the years, and Morbi has suffered other major disasters. In 1979, a dam on the Machchu river burst, killing hundreds of people in one of India’s biggest dam failures.
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