Gujarat, India: At Least 70 Killed After Bridge Collapses

NEW DELHI — At least 70 people were killed after a century-old bridge collapsed in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Sunday evening, sending hundreds plunging into the Machchhu River, officials said.

About 350 people were on and around the bridge, a major tourist attraction, at the time of the collapse, said Brijesh Merja, a minister in the Gujarat government. A majority of those who died were children, women and older people, according to officials.

The bridge collapsed four days after it was reopened to the public and seven months after renovation work. Built in 1880, during the Victorian era, it is about 755 feet long.

Video broadcast by local television channels showed people swimming to a portion of the bridge suspended in the water, with more than a dozen struggling to cling to the edge as they waited to be rescued. Children and women could be heard crying for help.

Rescue workers scrambled to pull victims from the river. Video footage released by the Gujarat government showed small boats helping with rescues. The office of the district collector in Morbi, the district where the bridge collapsed, said 170 people had been rescued so far.

The collector’s office said that in addition to the national disaster response force, teams from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force were on the way to help with the operation, which was complicated as night had fallen and the river was dark.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat and was in the state for a three-day visit, announced cash compensation for the families of those killed or injured.

The bridge was particularly busy over the weekend, as the Hindu festival season drew a larger number of tourists and families to the recently reopened attraction. The Morbi district is home to thousands of factories that make ceramic tiles, bathroom products and wall clocks, and dozens of migrant factory workers were on the bridge when it fell.

Attention has shifted to whether the private company that runs the bridge reopened it to the public ahead of the holiday season without the proper safety checks. Municipality officials told the local news media that the bridge might have been opened without a “fitness certificate.” State officials said they would investigate the matter.

India’s infrastructure has long been marred by safety concerns. Allegations of corruption have also swirled around the huge amounts of money channeled to construction and maintenance, depriving Indians of quality roads and bridges and leading to frequent mass-casualty episodes.

Gujarat, which has a population of about 60 million, is in the middle of a harshly fought election season, with a vote for the local government expected in the coming months. Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has been at the helm of the state for the past two decades, and his 12 years as chief minister in Gujarat cemented his rise to national office.

Mujib Mashal contributed reporting.