India: Over 131 people killed in bridge collapse in Gujarat Morbi

WORLD, Oct. 31 (YPA) – Over 130 people were killed when a pedestrian suspension bridge collapsed in India’s western state of Gujarat on Sunday.

Local media quoted officials  saying that nearly 500 people including women and children were celebrating a religious festival on and around the suspension bridge in Morbi in western India when cables supporting it snapped soon after dark.

Brijesh Merja, a minister in the Gujarat government, said more than 80 people have been rescued.

Authorities launched a rescue operation following the collapse, with boats and divers deployed to search for missing people late into the night.

The bridge over the Machchhu river around 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Gujarat’s main city, Ahmedabad, had only re-opened several days earlier after months of repairs.

E.M