Morbi bridge collapse: Hopes fade for survivors in Gujarat tragedy

A rescue operation – begun after a pedestrian suspension bridge collapsed in India’s western state of Gujarat – has been scaled down as hopes fade of more survivors being found.

Officials say 141 people – most of them women, children or elderly – died after the bridge collapsed on Sunday evening.

The 140-year-old structure in Morbi town reopened a week ago after repairs.

There was overcrowding on the bridge – a major local tourist attraction – at the time it collapsed, officials said.

Police are questioning eight people in connection with the incident, a police official confirmed to BBC Gujarati. Those being questioned included security personnel and ticket sellers.

The official refused to confirm whether employees from Oreva Group, the firm which was in charge of maintaining the bridge, are also being questioned.

Questions have been raised over why Oreva Group, a company which once described itself as the “world’s largest clock manufacturing company” – before it also began making lighting products, battery-operated bikes, home appliances and TV sets – was given responsibility for maintaining a bridge.

Concerns have also been raised about whether safety checks were carried out before the bridge was reopened.

The 230m (754ft) bridge on the Machchhu river was built in 1880, during British rule in India.