Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Broken wires, faulty renovation caused deadly Gujarat bridge collapse: Probe

The colonial-era suspension bridge in the town of Morbi in the western state of Gujarat was packed with sightseers when it collapsed on October 30, killing 135 people

Broken wires, faulty renovation caused deadly Gujarat bridge collapse: Probe

BROKEN corroded wires, improper welding and changes to the walking surface of a 145-year-old hanging bridge in India contributed to its collapse last year that killed 135 people, an investigation has found.

The colonial-era suspension bridge in the town of Morbi in the western state of Gujarat was packed with sightseers when it collapsed on October 30, plunging hundreds into the Machchhu river.

It had reopened just days before, following months of repairs.

A five-member special investigation team, formed by the state government, found that the main cables were not inspected or replaced, no load test or structural test was conducted before opening the bridge and far more people were present on the bridge during the incident than its capacity.

"Main cable of the upstream side was found broken on one side," according to a preliminary investigation report seen by Reuters.

"Out of the 49 wires of the main cable, 22 were corroded which indicates that those wires may be already broken before the incident. The remaining 27 wires recently broke."

The bridge - 233 metres in length and 1.25 metres wide - had been closed for more than seven months for repairs until the week of the deadly collapse.

CCTV footage showed a group of young men taking photos while others tried to rock the bridge from side to side in the moments before the cables snapped and they plunged from the narrow walkway.

Sandeepsinh Zala, Morbi's municipal chief at the time of the collapse, was suspended by the state in November while police last month arrested Jaysukh Patel, the managing director of the Oreva Group, which had been given the contract for repairing and operating the structure.

The Oreva Group did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The report said the renovated deck on the bridge was incorrectly joined by welding old suspenders with new ones, while wooden planks were replaced by aluminium sheets.

"If there were individual wooden planks instead of an aluminium deck, then due to its flexible behaviour, the number of casualties could have been less," the report said, adding that the main cables and suspenders had not been tested during renovation.

The report said Zala did not act as per law in signing the agreement with Oreva, which is best known for making clocks and electrical products.

The report blamed Oreva for unrestricted access to the bridge for people and insufficient security arrangements.

"Repair work was carried out without consulting competent technical experts. The company outsourced the repair works to a non-competent agency," it said.

Zala declined to comment because the matter was in court.

(Reuters)

More For You

Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

During the call, Starmer said he was horrified by the terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK  mini heatwave

Sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth

Getty

UK to see mini heatwave as temperatures climb towards 24 °c

The UK is set for a period of warmer weather in the coming days, with temperatures expected to rise significantly across parts of the country. According to the Met Office, a spell of dry and sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth, although it will fall short of the threshold for an official heatwave.

Temperatures in south-eastern and central England could reach 23°c to 24°c by Tuesday, around 10C above the seasonal average for some areas. The Met Office described this as a “very warm spell” rather than a heatwave, though the contrast with recent cooler weather will be noticeable.

Keep ReadingShow less
indian-army-reuters

Indian security force personnel stand guard at the site of the attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 24, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Indian and Pakistani troops exchange fire along Line of Control

INDIAN and Pakistani troops exchanged fire overnight along the Line of Control in Kashmir, officials from both sides said on Friday.

The exchange took place days after a deadly attack in the region and amid calls from the United Nations for both countries to show "maximum restraint".

Keep ReadingShow less