Gujarat: Nine arrested in Morbi bridge collapse

New Delhi, Oct 31: Police have arrested nine people on Monday, including maintenance contractors of the bridge in Gujarat Morbi city which collapsed, killing 134 people.

At least 132 people, many of them women and children, died after a century-old suspension bridge on Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi city collapsed on Sunday evening.

"We arrested 9 people after filing FIR under avrious sections of IPC. Among the nine people arrested there are two managers of Oreva company, two ticket clerks along with two contractors and three security guards for negligence," Ashok Yadav, IG, Rajkot range told reporters.

An FIR was lodged in the bridge collapse under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (intentional act causing death) and 114 (abettor present when offence committed), against whoever is found responsible.

The bridge was opened for tourists by the agency despite knowing that their "callous approach" in the maintenance and management of the bridge may lead to human deaths, the FIR stated.

The state information department said five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), six platoons of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), a team of the Air Force, two columns of the Army, and two teams of the Indian Navy apart from local rescue teams were involved in the operation that continued through the night.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Gujarat's Morbi where a century-old bridge on the Machchhu river collapsed. The Prime Minister had cancelled his road show as well as all the celebratory events in the wake of the accident on Monday.