Morbi bridge collapse toll rises to 134; rescue operation on
Morbi (PTI): The death toll in Morbi suspension bridge collapse rose to 134 on Monday, a senior Gujarat police official said, adding that the rescue operation was still underway.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi remained in Morbi during the night to oversee the rescue operation being conducted by multiple agencies.
The more than a century-old bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi, located around 300 km from the state capital Gandhinagar, had reopened five days ago after extensive repairs and renovation. It was crammed with people when it collapsed around 6.30 pm on Sunday.
"The death toll in the bridge collapse incident has gone up to 134," Rajkot Range Inspector General Ashok Yadav told PTI.
The state information department said five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), six platoons of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), a team of the Air Force, two columns of the Army, and two teams of the Indian Navy apart from local rescue teams were involved in the operation that continued through the night.
"The rescue operation is still on," Yadav said.
Sanghavi told reporters that the state government has formed a committee to conduct a probe into the bridge collapse.
Eyewitnesses said there were several women and children on the British era "hanging bridge" when it snapped, plunging them into the water below.
Apart from locals, people from nearby cities and villages had also come to the bridge on a holiday when it collapsed.
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.
At the local hospital, people formed a human chain to hold back crowds and keep the road clear for ambulances which brought those rescued.
A private operator had carried out the repair work of the bridge for nearly seven months before it was reopened for the public on the Gujarati New Year day on October 26.
The bridge was reopened after a private inaugural event and was yet to receive the municipality's "fitness certificate," a civic official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in Gujarat, spoke to CM Patel and other officials, the PM's Office said in a tweet.
Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to each of the injured, the PMO said.
The state government announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Following the accident, Modi cancelled his road show scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad Monday ahead of the state Assembly polls, BJP sources said.
He will attend a programme to launch some railway projects in Ahmedabad.
A "page committee sammelan", scheduled to be held on Tuesday in Modi's virtual presence, has been put off, the sources added.
The Congress said its 'Parivartan Sankalp Yatra', which was to be taken out from five zones across the state on Monday, was postponed by a day following the bridge collapse.
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No disputed structure should be called mosque: UP CM Adityanath
Mahakumbh Nagar (UP), Jan 11: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said no controversial structure should be referred to as "a mosque", asserting that tenets of Islam are "against constructing a mosque-like structure" at disputed sites.
Adityanath made the remarks while referring to the Shahi Jama Masjid dispute in Sambhal that sparked violence in November last year, according to an official statement.
The chief minister, while speaking at an event of a private news channel here, also said that worship at disputed sites is neither acceptable to God nor in line with Islamic principles, it said.
"We must never call a controversial structure a mosque. The day we stop calling it (a mosque), people will stop going there. Islam itself teaches against hurting anyone's faith or constructing a mosque-like structure at such places," the chief minister said.
"If God disapproves, why should we engage in such futile worship?" he questioned.
Adityanath emphasized that Islam does not require the construction of specific structures for worship, unlike Sanatan Dharma, where temples are central to religious practice, the statement said.
He called for a shift towards unity and progressive thinking, saying, "This is time to embrace the vision of a new India."
On the Sambhal violence over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, he said that Sambhal was prophesied as the birthplace of Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, long before the advent of Islam.
The chief minister further stated that historical documents like Ain-i-Akbari mention the demolition of a Shri Hari Vishnu temple in 1526 to erect the Jama Masjid, calling for the site to be voluntarily returned, the statement said.
He also suggested that the issue of disputed religious sites, such as the Shahi Jama Masjid, should not require judicial intervention. Instead, he advocated for mutual reconciliation, urging "followers of Islam to acknowledge the truth and extend a gesture of goodwill", according to the statement.
On the matter of the Places of Worship Act, Adityanath expressed confidence that the courts would ensure justice and respect for faith.
The Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal came into spotlight after a local court accepting a plea that it has been built over a temple ordered survey in November last year. During the second survey of the mosque on November 24, violence broke out in Sambhal in which four people were killed.
On the historical significance of Ayodhya, Adityanath also expressed gratitude for the installation of Ram Lalla's idol in 2024, noting that it ended a 500-year-long wait. He stated that the Maha Kumbh-2025 was being held at an auspicious time.
Reflecting on his slogan "Ek hain to nek hain, batenge to katenge", Adityanath highlighted the importance of unity, saying, "History has shown us that division weakens us. If we learn from the mistakes of the past, such situations will never arise again."
The chief minister also attacked the opposition INDIA bloc, saying, "Those who once strangled the Constitution now hold its copy to mislead the public."
He also pointed out that terms like "secular" and "socialist" were added to the Constitution during the Emergency, the statement said.
