The Indian police arrested nine suspects on Monday in connection with the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy in Gujarat, India, which killed at least 134 people, according to senior police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav.
Ticketing personnel, three security officers, and two individuals contracted to maintain the structure were among those arrested. Yadav stated that it is probable that other arrests would be made as the investigation continues.
During the 19th century, the suspension bridge was constructed during British colonial control and was undergoing maintenance. Sunday, immediately after its reopening last week, it collapsed.
Photos and videos, including one released by the local news station News24, recorded the moment when the cables supporting the bridge snapped, plunging hundreds of individuals into the Machchhu River below.
—News24 (@news24tvchannel)
October 31, 2022
The death toll has grown to 134, while approximately 170 people have been rescued, according to a senior government official who spoke to Reuters, N.K. Muchhar. Reuters claimed, citing a list of the deceased, that about 35 victims were under 14 years old.
Sandeepsinh Zala, the chief officer of Morbi municipality, told Reuters that the Gujarat-based company Oreva, which was responsible for the bridge’s upkeep, had not informed the authorities of its plans to restore the bridge to the public following repairs.
Zala continued, “We have not awarded them a fitness certificate.”
The Times of India reports that a day after the Morbi bridge catastrophe, authorities imposed an hourly restriction of 3,000 people on the renowned Atal Bridge in Ahmedabad, the main city in the state of Gujarat.
The Indian authorities and Oreva did not reply immediately to calls for comment from Insider.