It was already dark when a suspension bridge in western India carrying hundreds of people collapsed in seconds. Surveillance footage, videos on local television and social media show this and the chaos that followed.

At least 141 people died on Sunday night (local time) and dozens more were injured, he said POLICE on Monday with. Most of the victims were women, children and the elderly, he said. At least 177 people have been rescued from the flooding of the Machchhu River. Pictures and videos showed many people in the water holding on to parts of the bridge, screaming and rescue teams coming to them in boats. Many Indians cannot swim.

No one controls access to the bridge

Footage has also circulated on the internet showing how, shortly before the collapse, many people were jumping up and down the bridge 1.25 meters wide and 230 meters long and how the bridge moved back and forth. An eye witness told local television station NDTV that the bridge swayed so much that people could not stand without holding on. He and his family left the bridge quickly. According to him, no one tried to control the crowd.

The accident occurred in Morbi in the state of Gujarat. This bridge dates back to the 19th century, when India was still a British colony. Local authorities called the bridge an “engineering marvel” on their website. At the time of construction, the latest technology available in Europe at the time was used.

Just last week, the pedestrian bridge was reopened by a private company after months of renovation work. It is also popular among local tourists. On Sundays it attracts a large number of visitors in light of several important Hindu festival days. Among other things, the festival of Chhath Puja is celebrated, during which the sun god is worshiped. So many people were in a celebratory mood.

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It was initially unclear why the bridge collapsed, and a proper investigation was announced. Media reports said that the construction may not hold the weight of many people. The “Hindustan Times” reported that significantly more people were on the bridge than buying tickets for their access. A security guard couldn’t stop him.

A local official told NDTV that local authorities had not inspected the bridge after the rehabilitation work and had not given the green light for a reopening. Nine people were arrested on Monday, including a manager from a company renovating the bridge, a ticket seller and a security guard at the site.

US President Joe Biden and his wife expressed their condolences on Monday: “Jill and I extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the collapse of the bridge,” Biden said. In these difficult times, the US continues to support the Indian people.

In recent years, dozens of people have died in India due to infrastructure-related accidents. In such cases there is compensation for the victim’s family. In the case of the collapse of the bridge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office and the government of the affected state of Gujarat announced 200,000 rupees (about 2440 euros) and 400,000 rupees (about 4880 euros), respectively.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:221030-99-320762/16