India bridge collapse: At least 60 children killed

At least 60 people were killed in India On Sunday, officials said, a bridge collapsed in the western state of Gujarat, causing hundreds of people to fall into the water.

State Secretary at Gujarat Ministry of Labor and Employment Priesh Mirja said the bridge in Morbi town had recently been renovated and the government would investigate how and why the accident happened. He added that the current focus is on search and rescue operations.

Speaking to NDTV in a on-camera interview from the scene of the tragedy, he said at least 17 people are receiving treatment in hospital. Among the dead were children, MP Mohanbai Kalyanji Kundaria told NDTV.

Personnel from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are assisting in search and rescue operations, according to the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel.

Patel said the armed forces will assist the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Government Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

Gujarat Minister Mirja said three platoons of the National Defense Forces, 50 Navy personnel, 30 Air Force personnel, two Army personnel and seven fire brigades from Rajkot, Jamnagar and Diu were deployed for rescue and relief efforts. He also said that an isolation ward has been set up at Rajkot Civil Hospital for treatment.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the families of the victims will receive money from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Modi tweeted that he was “deeply saddened” by Morby’s tragedy, saying rescue and relief operations are continuing.

Gujarat Chief Minister Patil said he was heading to Morbi and canceled all pre-planned events for the day.

I express my condolences to the families of the citizens who lost their lives in this tragedy. The state government will provide INR 4,000 for the family of each deceased and INR 50,000 for the injured.”

Television footage showed dozens of people holding cables and the remains of the bridge as emergency teams tried to reach them, according to Reuters. Some climbed the shattered structure to reach the banks of the river, while others swam to safety.

The state’s home secretary, Harsh Sangavi, said more than 150 people were on the bridge, a tourist attraction, at the time of the disaster. The 230-meter-high bridge was built in the 19th century, and only reopened to the public last week after restoration work.