China's prez Xi sends condolences to India over Gujarat's Morbi incident

Beijing, Nov 01: China's President Xi Jinping is the latest global leader who has reportedly extended condolences over bridge collapse in Gujarat's Morbi that claimed over 140 lives.

He has sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian President Droupadi Murmu over the deadly bridge collapse in Gujarat, Reuters reported citing Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

According to the latest reports, the death toll in the collapse of the British-era bridge on Sunday on the Machchhu river in Morbi in Gujarat has gone up to 141 people.

World leaders including US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have extended their condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives in the tragic bridge collapse.

"Today, our hearts are with India. Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones during the bridge collapse, and join the people of Gujarat in mourning the loss of too many lives cut short," Biden said in a statement on Monday. "The United States and India are indispensable partners, with deep bonds between our citizens. In this difficult hour, we will continue to stand with and support the Indian people," he said.

In a message which was published on the Kremlin website on Monday, Putin said, "Dear Ms President, dear Mr Prime Minister, please accept my heartfelt condolences over the tragic bridge collapse in the state of Gujarat. "

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.