“Three sounds then it collapsed,” recalled Ashwin Mehra on Monday, after surviving the bridge collapse incident in Morbi city in Gujarat in which 134 people were killed.

“It happened around 6:30 pm. Some mischievous men were shaking the ropes of the bridge. Three times a noise came from it before it collapsed,” he told ANI. Mehra sustained injuries in his leg and arms is undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Morbi.

Speaking on how he survived, he said he held onto branches of nearby trees and his friend also survived the incident. “I held on to branches of nearby trees and eventually escaped. I had my friend Prakash with me and he also survived,” he said.

#WATCH | An injured survivor in the #MorbiBridgeCollapse recounts the harrowing moment when the suspension bridge collapsed and how he saved himself pic.twitter.com/MWX3HpwqmT

— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2022

Contractors Among Nine Arrested

Rajkot Range IG Ashok Yadav said nine people have been arrested in connection with the collapse of the cable suspension bridge and a case has been filed against firms tasked with the maintenance and operation of the nearly century-old bridge. The newly renovated bridge that was reopened for public a few days ago, collapsed on Sunday at 6:30 pm after alarming number of footfall.

The bridge was given to Oreva company for operation and maintenance for 15 years. In March this year, it was closed for the public for renovation. It reopened after renovation on the Gujarati New Year day celebrated on October 26, Morbi Municipality’s chief officer Sandeepsinh Zala said. However, the officials said the local municipality had not yet issued any fitness certificate after the renovation work.

Of the nine arrested, two managers of Oreva company, two ticket clerks, two contractors and three security guards have been booked for negligence.

The police have registered an FIR on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and attempt to commit culpable homicide against agencies given the task of maintenance and operation of the bridge. The bridge was opened for tourists by the agency despite knowing that their “callous approach” in the maintenance and management of the bridge may lead to human deaths, the FIR stated. “We have lodged an FIR and trying to establish contact with the Oreva company’s staff who were on duty at the bridge yesterday,” SP Rahul Tripathi said.

The police said the state government has formed a committee to conduct a probe into the bridge collapse.

Eyewitnesses recall Horror

Eyewitnesses have said that some youths from the crowd were shaking the bridge moments before it collapsed, plunging people into the Machchhu river. Ahmedabad resident Vijay Goswami and his family who had visited the bridge on the day of the mishap, later recounted that some youths started shaking the bridge intentionally and it became difficult for people to walk. He said since he felt this act could prove dangerous, he and his family returned without proceeding further on the bridge.

Goswami also said the incident could have been avoided. He said before returning home, he had alerted the bridge staff about the situation on the bridge, “but they were indifferent.”

A video captured from a CCTV camera that went viral on social media showed the moment before the suspension wires of the bridge broke. In the video, some youngsters can be seen kicking the ropes of the bridge and shaking it, when the wires suddenly break, throwing all pedestrians into the river.

#Morbi bridge horror, CNN-News18 accessed the #CCTV footage of the moments when the tragedy happened

Live Updates: https://t.co/1d3Vek6q8g#morbibridgecollapse #gujaratnews #bridgecollapse #MorbiTragedy #MorbiGujarat #MorbiNews #MorbiCableBridge pic.twitter.com/KCL7G2iNpe

— News18 (@CNNnews18) October 31, 2022

A local resident said nearly 300 people were on the bridge. “There were nearly 300 people on the bridge, which was opened a few days back for the public. Majority of the victims were children, as they came here to enjoy their Diwali vacation. Locals rushed to the spot immediately after the mishap, and pulled out many people alive,” he said.

To Leave ‘No Stone Unturned’ to Help Victims: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a tour of poll-bound Gujarat said he reached Morbi late at night following the bridge incident. “All administration and government, NDRF, SDRF are working on the relief work,” he said, adding “I want to assure the people of Gujarat that the government is standing with the people and won’t leave any stones unturned.” He will visit Morbi tomorrow afternoon.

Due to the Diwali vacation and being a Sunday, there was a rush of tourists on the bridge, a major tourist attraction. Before the tragedy occurred, some people were seen jumping on the bridge and pulling its big wires, an eyewitness said, adding that the bridge may have collapsed due to the “huge crowd” on it.

People fell over each other when the bridge collapsed, he said. Several of the victims were seen hanging by the edge of the bridge to prevent themselves from slipping into the river.

After the collapse, all that remained of the bridge was part of the metal carriageway hanging down from one end into the river water, its thick cables snapped in places.

Lok Sabha member from Rajkot Mohan Kundariya said 12 of his relatives were among those killed in tragedy. They had gone to visit the picnic spot on Sunday when the tragedy took place, the BJP MP told PTI.

Approximately 300 Army personnel are deployed in search and rescue operations at the bridge collapse incident site in Morbi city. “Army columns equipped with engineer stores are assisting NDRF, SDRF, IN, Coast Guard in rescue operation and assisting civil administration and police in crowd management and security,” sources said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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