Is the Indian Suspension Bridge Disaster That Claimed 140 Lives Also Man-Made? ... "Only Old Cable Polishing"

Renovation Work Without Expert Supervision... No Emergency Evacuation or Rescue Plan
Indian Police Arrest 9 Officials on Charges of Negligent Homicide

Indian rescue workers are conducting a search operation for missing persons in the Machhu River in Morbi, Gujarat state, western India, where a suspension bridge collapse occurred on the 1st (local time). Photo by AP News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Circumstantial evidence has emerged that the suspension bridge collapse disaster in India, which claimed about 140 lives, was a man-made disaster caused by poor construction. It was investigated that repair work was carried out without expert supervision, and no emergency evacuation or rescue plans were prepared.

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, in the Morbi area of western Gujarat state, a pedestrian-only suspension bridge crossing the Machhu River suddenly collapsed, causing over 400 people to fall into the water. 177 people were safely rescued, but about 140 died, with a significant number of the victims being women, elderly, and children.

On the 2nd (local time), local media including the Times of India reported, citing police and local authorities, on the poor repair work by the repair company Oreva. A police official told the Times of India, "It appears that the repair company only painted the bridge before reopening and polished the surface of the worn cables to make them shine." The daily Hindustan Times also reported, citing court documents, that the repair company only replaced the bridge floor and did not replace the cables.

The repair work, originally scheduled until December, was hurriedly completed to coincide with festivals such as Diwali, and during this process, government approval for reopening was not obtained, the Times of India pointed out. The bridge, 233 meters long and 1.25 meters wide, was built 143 years ago and was in a very dilapidated state. It underwent repair work for the past seven months and was reopened on the 26th of last month.

The fact that the number of people gathered on the bridge greatly exceeded the appropriate capacity (125?150 people) was also cited as a cause of the collapse. The accident occurred during the Diwali festival period when crowds gathered, and it is estimated that 400?500 people were on the bridge. On the day of the accident, 675 bridge tour tickets were sold.

There are also criticisms that the weight of the replaced bridge floor during the repair work was heavier than the original, putting more strain on the load. At the repair site, there was no expert supervision, and no emergency evacuation or rescue plans were prepared for dangerous situations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the accident site that day, emphasized that a detailed and extensive investigation into the accident must be conducted. He stated that those responsible for the accident will be thoroughly investigated, and any problems revealed through the investigation will be promptly addressed.

Meanwhile, Indian police have arrested and are investigating nine suspension bridge management officials on charges of negligent homicide.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.