The balance sheet is very heavy. The collapse, Sunday, October 30, of a suspended pedestrian bridge, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, left at least 141 people dead, including 47 children and a hundred injured. The work, described as the country’s longest suspension bridge, at 233 meters long, had reopened to the public four days earlier, on October 26, for Gujarati New Year celebrations. Built by the British during the colonial era to cross the Machchhu River in the city of Morbi, the 150-year-old structure has been renovated over seven months by Ajanta Manufacturing, a subsidiary of the Oreva group, a Gujarat-based power producer. equipment, better known for hours than for work on infrastructure.

When the bridge reopened, Oreva chief executive Jaysukhbhai Patel assured reporters that the company had done so “100% renovation with 20 million rupiah » (about 244,000 euros) and the bridge will not be in trouble for the next ten years. However, the company has decided to limit its access by selling tickets.

But on Sunday, the cable holding the bridge broke at around 6:30 p.m. after dark, when large crowds had gathered for religious ceremonies. The bridge collapsed in a split second, dragging nearly 350 people into the river. Many drowned. On Monday, aid was still sweeping his bed, while messages of condolence from foreign heads of state continued to pour in.

Narendra Modi will visit

According to news channel NDTV, the bridge was opened to the public prematurely compared to the planned schedule and without the authority issuing a certificate of conformity. The head of the Morbi municipality confirmed the information.

A spokesman for the Oreva group explained shortly after the incident that the bridge collapsed due to the influence of a “Too many people in the middle of the bridge trying to tilt it to one side or the other.” The hypothesis must be verified. The Gujarat government has appointed a five-member committee, consisting of civil servants and police, to carry out the investigation. On Monday, Gujarat police arrested nine people involved in the maintenance and management of the bridge, among others.

The drama comes amid an election campaign in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s native state, which he was a stronghold of before he came to power in 2014, and the case soon took a political turn. The head of government said “shocked and sad” planning to go there but not before Tuesday 1^er November. He was traveling in the area when the accident occurred.

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