Nine individuals were taken into custody in Monday by police in western India as they investigated the collapse of a 143-year-old suspension bridge. The bridge has recently been rebuilt.
This incident is one of the worst accidents in India in years. At least 134 people died after a bridge collapsed on Sunday.
For your information, the bridge had reopened just four days earlier. Moreover, police have organized a special investigation team, according to Inspector-General Ashok Yadav. They have detained several individuals, including managers and employees of the bridge operator.
“We won’t let the guilty get away, we won’t spare anyone,”
— Inspector-General Ashok Yadav
Cited from NBC, the police will charge the bridge operator with suspected culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide and other violations.
Furthermore, the local Morbi town administration awarded the company a 15-year contract in March to maintain and administer the bridge. The company is popular for manufacturing clocks, mosquito repellents, and electric bicycles.
However, in the same month, the company stopped the bridge over a large portion of the Machchu river for maintenance.
The bridge underwent numerous repairs in the past, and many of its original components changed over time.
In addition, it reopened nearly seven months later on October 26, the first day of the Gujarati New Year, which coincides with the Hindu festival season, and drew hundreds of visitors.
What actually happened?
The company reopened the bridge without first getting a “fitness certificate,” according to Sandeepsinh Zala, a Morbi official, who spoke to the Indian Express newspaper. Authorities denied this, but claimed they were looking into it.
According to the authorities, the structure collapsed under the pressure of the crowd. People were clinging to the structure’s cables and fencing in the security footage, but eventually the aluminium walkway collapsed and fell into the river.
Thus, the cables snapped, causing the bridge to break in two, leaving the walkway hanging down.
Source: NBC News