3. INTRODUCTION
On 30 October 2022 a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Machchhu
River in the city of Morbi in Gujarat, India, collapsed, causing the deaths of
at least 135 people and injuries to more than 180 others.
The 19th-century bridge had reopened five days earlier, in time for Diwali and the
Gujarati New Year, following a lengthy closure for repairs.
4. COLLAPSATION
On 30 October 2022, five days after reopening,[9][17] the bridge collapsed
at 6:40 p.m. More than five hundred people were on the bridge at the
time of the collapse, far exceeding the official capacity of 125.[18] Security
footage of the bridge showed the structure shaking violently and people
holding onto cables and fencing on either side of the bridge before the
walkway gave way.[19] Images of rescue and recovery operations
showed the walkway had divided at its midpoint, with some pieces still
hanging from snapped cables.[19]
5. VICTIMS
At least 135 people were confirmed dead,[24] and more than 180
were rescued.[25] A large number of the victims were women, the
elderly,[19] and children (39 boys and 16 girls) with the youngest
fatality being an 18-month-old baby.[26][24] The government of
Gujarat announced an ex gratia payment of ₹4 lakh (US$5,000)
to the next of kin of each person who died, and ₹50,000
(US$630) to the injured.
6.
7. INVESTIGATION
Initial reports said that the bridge was reopened early after
repairs, without the required certificate of fitness from the local civic
authorities. The chief officer of the municipality, who had agreed on
the contract for repairs after the 2001 earthquake, said the private
firm responsible for the renovations "threw the bridge open to
visitors without notifying us, and therefore, we couldn't get a safety
audit of the bridge conducted".[13]
A forensic report presented in court said that the bridge could not
withstand the weight of the new heavy flooring given the cables
were rusted, it had broken anchors, and the bolts connecting the
aforementioned two were loose.[29][3] A five-member committee
was formed by the Government of Gujarat to investigate and
determine the cause.[30][31] Nine people, all associated with the
Oreva group, were arrested and subject to investigation:[32][33] two
managers and two ticket clerks employed by Oreva, two
contractors, and three hired security guards.[3]
8. RESCUE
Rescue operations in Gujarat’s Morbi district were
called off on Thursday night, five days after a 143-
year-old suspension bridge collapsed into the
Machchu river claiming at least 135 lives, a senior
official from the state administration said, adding that
no more victims were reported missing.
The rescue operations involving multiple agencies,
including Indian Army, Navy, national and state
disaster response forces and personnel from various
departments of Gujarat, were called off at 8 pm on
Thursday, said an official release.
9.
10. Collapsation cause
As per media reports, a private operator had carried
out the repair work of the bridge for nearly six months
before it was reopened to the public on the Gujarati
New Year day celebrated on October 26. The heavy
crowd on the bridge was also said to be due to the
ongoing festive season.A forensic report presented
in court said that the bridge could not withstand the
weight of the new heavy flooring given the cables
were rusted, it had broken anchors, and the bolts
connecting the aforementioned two were loose.
