Morbi: More than 130 people have died after a British-era bridge in Gujarat's Morbi collapsed Sunday evening. Some 177 people have been saved. The rescue teams are searching for several others who are still missing.
The bridge over Machchhu river had been shut for seven months for repairs. It was reopened to the public on 26 October, the Gujarati New Year.
Here is an heart-wrenching account by some local eyewitnesses who carried the injured, some of them lifeless bodies of children in their arms, clutching onto a vague hope that they will somehow make it.
A tea seller in the vicinity who watched with horror said that people were hanging on to the Julto Pul, as the bridge is commonly known, went down.
"Everything happened within seconds. I saw people hanging on to the bridge and later falling into the water as their grip loosened and they slipped into the water. It was really heartwrenching. A 7-month pregnant woman also died in the bridge collapse. It shattered me to the core," he said.
Another man who sells tea every Sunday near the bridge broke down repeatedly as he recounted the horror.
"There were just people dying everywhere. I tried helping as much as I can. Took people to the hospital," said the tea vendor as tears filled his eyes.
A local woman choked up as she narrated the dreadful incident.
"I never realized when the morning dawned. My family and I was involved in rushing people to the hospital for the whole night. I have given both my vehicles to people to ferry the injured to hospitals. I have two sons and a daughter and both my sons have been just helping out people and are continuing even now.
"It really shook me when I carried dead children with my own hands as I thought of taking them to the hospital. But they had nothing left in them. It broke me. I can't even speak about it.....," said Hasina Bhen as she broke down again.
Others narrated how they attempted to rescue those, including children who were seen clinging on to the bridge but they had to stare helplessly as they fell into the river and either drowned or got swept away. Some able-bodied people were seen climbing up back the broken bridge, part of which was touching the water.
Teams including Army, Navy, Air Force, NDRF, and Fire Brigade conducted a search operation throughout the night to rescue people who had fallen into the Macchu river after the bridge collapsed, as per officials. (Agencies)
