Over 60 die in Morbi cable bridge collapse in Gujarat, says Minister Brijesh Merja

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Over 60 persons have lost their lives in the Morbi cable bridge collapse incident that took place in Gujarat on Sunday evening, state Panchayat Minister Brijesh Merja, who is present at the incident spot, said.

"More than 60 people have died. 17 people are admitted to the hospital at the moment. The Chief Minister is coming. The incident took place at around 6.40 pm," Minister Merja told ANI.

Also read: Five killed, two injured as old building collapses in Maharashtra's Amravati

It was earlier reported that 35 persons had lost their lives in the unfortunate incident, the death toll has risen to over 60 so far. BJP MP from Rajkot, Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariya said that the NDRF is conducting the rescue operation.

"More than 60 bodies were recovered, of which more are of children, women & elderly. Rest have been rescued; NDRF rescue op is underway. We're taking this matter very seriously, it's very saddening," he said.

"Machinery present at the spot to pump out the water so that we can figure out the bodies underneath, as there's a lot of silt. I believe the bridge got overloaded and that led to the incident. Many teams engaged in rescue, CM to arrive shortly, " he added.

The eyewitnesses Amit Patel & Sukram present on the spot said that the incident might have taken place because of the huge crowd at the bridge.

"Many people came here in view of the Diwali holidays and weekend; it's a tourist-friendly place. The incident occurred probably because of the huge crowd at the bridge. When it collapsed, people fell over each other," they said.

Soon after the incident, State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi informed that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been instructed to reach the spot."It's a sad and unfortunate incident. Around 6:30 pm, the bridge in Morbi carrying 150 people collapsed. In just 15 mins, fire brigade, collector, district SP, doctors, and ambulance reached the spot... I'll be reaching the spot too. The official death toll in the matter is seven," Sanghavi said while speaking to the reporters here.

The Minister informed that most of the people have been rescued."We have been able to rescue most of the people there... we are receiving all kinds of help from the Centre. NDRF and other agencies have been instructed to reach the spot. Most people injured due to the collapse have been admitted to the hospital," he said.

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