60 Dead As India Bridge Collapses

60 Dead As India Bridge Collapses

At least 60 people were killed on Sunday after a 100-year-old suspension bridge collapsed in India, a senior official said.

Reports earlier said the death toll could be as high as 50 or 60 with around 100 others injured, but a minister noted that 60 persons were killed.

“Sixty people have died. More than 80 have been rescued,” Brijesh Merja, a minister in the state government of Gujarat where the disaster happened, told AFP.

Authorities said nearly 500 people including women and children were gathered on and around the bridge when the cables supporting it snapped, bringing down the entire structure into the river.

The bridge is located in Morbi around 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Gujarat’s main city, Ahmedabad.

Local media quoted officials as saying that those on the bridge were performing rituals for a major religious festival when it gave way into the Machchhu river.

The Press Trust of India reported the death toll as being at least 32, citing local health officials.