141 Killed In Gujarat Bridge Collapse, 177 Rescued: 10 Points

Gujarat Morbi Bridge Collapse: In Morbi of  Gujarat, a nearly 100-year-old suspension bridge across the Machchhu River collapsed on Sunday. The British-era bridge in Morbi, Gujarat, collapsed Sunday night, killing at least 141 people. A search effort is being conducted for many more victims who are still missing, even though 177 people have so far been rescued.

Around 500 people had congregated on the suspension bridge, which was around 300 miles from Ahmedabad, to perform Chhath puja rituals, when it collapsed at 6:42 pm on Sunday.

Following the bridge collapse, a rescue mission begun, with five teams of the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF arriving on the spot. Later, the army, navy, and air force were also called into action. According to officials, several people have been rushed to hospitals with critical injuries, and the rescue operation is being carried out using boats.

The Machchhu River bridge was shut seven months for renovations. On October 26, it was reopened to the public. Speaking to a news channel,  Sandipsinh Zala, president of the local municipal council in Gujarat's Morbi city, said the renovation of the century-old bridge that fell had not received a fitness certificate from the authorities before reopening it.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for families of those killed in the tragedy and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for each of the victims' families.