Death toll from Indian bridge collapse rises to 151, many still missing

As of Monday morning, 151 people had died as a result of the collapse of a pedestrian suspension bridge in the Indian state of Gujarat, according to authorities.

Four days after it was reopened to the public following renovations, a bridge collapsed in Morbi, approximately 125 miles from the state capital of west Ahmedabad. Local officials said the bridge could not support the weight of the people standing on it.

About 177 victims have been rescued, while an undetermined number are still missing, even though it is unclear how many people were on the bridge when it collapsed over the Machuchu river.

The 230m (754ft) bridge was built during British rule in the 19th Century and had undergone renovation a few weeks ago, another local official said.

He said most of those who had died were women, children or elderly who could not swim to safety.

“There was overcrowding on the bridge at the time as people celebrated the Diwali festival,” officials said, adding that the death toll is expected to rise further.

“Many children were enjoying holidays for Diwali and they came here as tourists.

“All of them fell one on top of another. The bridge collapsed due to overloading.”

Gujarat is the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has announced compensation for the families of victims of the disaster.

The authorities have promised a full investigation while questions are being asked about whether safety checks were done before the bridge was reopened which is a popular tourist attraction known locally as Julto Pul (swinging bridge).