Gujarat bridge collapse: 12 members of BJP MP's family dead

Ahmedabad, Oct 31: In the bridge collapse incident that claimed over 132 lives and left hundreds injured, twelve family members of BJP MP from Rajkot Mohanbhai Kundariya were killed in the accident on Sunday.

Out of the family members, there were five children, according to a report in India Today. "I have lost 12 members of my family, including five children, in the mishap. I lost family members who were from my sister's family," the website quoted him as saying.

The BJP MP on Monday paid a visit to the spot to take stock of the rescue operation.

"It is very saddening. Machinery are present at the spot to pump out the water so that we can figure out the bodies underneath, as there's a lot of silt. I believe the bridge got overloaded and that led to the incident. Many teams engaged in rescue," Kundariya told news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the Morbi hanging bridge collapse incident increased to 134. The more than a century-old bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi, located around 300 km from the state capital Gandhinagar, had reopened five days ago after extensive repairs and renovation, PTI reported.

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.