Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday is in Morbi district in western Gujarat state where a bridge collapse killed 135 people in one of India's worst accidents in years. Police on Monday said at least 141 people had been killed, but later revised that number to 135. The 140-year-old bridge over the Macchu River gave way on Sunday, days after it reopened following repairs. Search and rescue operations on the river resumed on Tuesday. Nine people, including employees of a firm contracted to maintain the bridge, have been arrested. The 230m (754ft) bridge was built in the 1870s during British rule. The bridge was a major local tourist attraction — touted by the state's tourism website as an "artistic and technological marvel" — and reopened only last week after being shut for months for repairs. Reports said that several hundred people were on the structure when it collapsed at around 18:40 India time (13:10 GMT) on Sunday. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as people plunged into the waters below and others clung on to the wreckage, waiting for rescue teams to save them. Some tried to swim to the banks of the river and managed to survive but many others were swept away by the fast-moving water. On Monday, teams of disaster response workers and Indian military personnel scoured the river in small boats, paddling through its muddy waters and the mangrove shrubs in search of the missing. Hundreds of locals too joined in the efforts, while distressed relatives searched for their loved ones. By evening, the rescuers had managed to recover 134 bodies. Search operations were paused for the night but resumed on Tuesday, with teams of rescuers at the scene by early morning. At least 170 people have been rescued so far. Gujarat, the home state of Modi, has announced a day of mourning on Wednesday. Authorities have promised a full investigation after questions were raised about whether safety checks were carried out before the bridge was reopened. Police say the nine people arrested are all associated with Oreva group, the firm contracted to maintain and operate the bridge. They include two managers, two ticket clerks, two contractors and three security guards. They are being investigated for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, senior police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav said. The firm has been accused of multiple lapses, including its alleged failure to get a fitness certificate from the municipality. Oreva has not responded to questions about the collapse. Some are asking if top-level managers in the company will also be investigated. The tragedy has devastated the people of Morbi, a little town known for its thriving ceramic industry. On Monday, the two main crematoriums in the city were full, even as the search for survivors continued. In cases where entire families were wiped out in the accident, locals took it upon themselves to perform their last rites. Police have told the BBC the search will continue until everyone is accounted for — but some people were still missing on Tuesday. Siddique, who went to see the bridge with his friend, says he has been looking for him since Sunday night. "We were standing in the middle of the bridge when it broke. I clung on to a part of the broken bridge and somehow made my way out, but I don't know where my friend is," he said. — BBC
