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Nine arrested over Indian bridge collapse, 137 dead

At least 137 people died in western India when a colonial-era pedestrian bridge packed with revellers collapsed into the river below, police said.

Nine people have also been arrested in connection with the collapse.

The nine, all associated with a company than maintained the bridge in Morbi, are being investigated for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, senior police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav said in a statement.

Authorities said nearly 500 people were celebrating the last day of the Diwali festival on and around the nearly 150-year-old suspension bridge in Morbi when supporting cables snapped after dark.

CCTV footage showed the structure in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat swaying, with a few people apparently deliberately rocking it, before it suddenly gave way.

The walkway and one fence crashed into the river, leaving the other side dangling in mid-air and hundreds of people in the water.

"I saw the bridge collapse before my eyes," said one witness who worked all night on rescue efforts, without giving his name.

"It was traumatic when a woman showed me a photo of her daughter and asked if I had rescued her. I could not tell her that her daughter had died."

Another witness named Supran said the bridge was "jam-packed".

"The cables snapped and the bridge came down in a split second. People fell on each other and into the river," he told local media.

News reports showed footage of people clinging onto the twisted remains of the bridge or trying to swim to safety in the dark.

The suspension cables snapped on the 19th century bridge

Another Morbi resident, Ranjanbhai Patel, said he helped pull out those who had been able to reach the banks.

"As most of the people had fallen into the river, we were not able to save them," he said.

Local police chief P Dekavadiya said the death toll had risen to 137. They included around 50 children, the youngest being a two-year-old boy.

One local MP, Kalyanji Kundariya, told media he had lost 12 family members in the accident, including five children.

The bridge over the Machchhu river, a popular tourist spot, had only reopened several days earlier after months of repairs.

'No certificate'

Authorities launched a rescue operation following the collapse, with boats and divers searching the river all night and this morning.

The suspension bridge, 233 metres long and 1.5 metres wide, was inaugurated in 1880 by the British colonial authorities and made with materials shipped from England, reports said.

The Gujarat tourist department describes the "grand suspension bridge" about 200km west of the state's main city, Ahmedabad, as an "artistic and technological marvel".

Sandeepsinh Jhala, Morbi municipality chief officer, said that after the recent renovation, the bridge had not been issued a safety certificate.

Search operations lasted through the night

District police have launched an inquiry against the contractor.

Reports said the work had been carried out by a unit of the Gujarat-based Oreva group, which describes itself as the world's largest clock manufacturer, and also makes lighting products and e-bikes. It could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mr Modi, who is due to visit the site tomorrow, said that he "may rarely have experienced so much pain in my life".

President Michael D Higgins has offered his condolences to those who died in the tragedy.

In a statement this afternoon, he said: "People throughout the world have been deeply saddened by the news of the terrible tragedy which has occurred following the collapse of a suspension bridge over the Machchu River in the city of Morbi in Gujarat, India.

"As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest sympathies to the families of all those who have lost their lives.

"The emergency services who have responded to this terrible incident are in my thoughts and I wish a speedy recovery to all those who have been injured."

Moscow and New Delhi have enjoyed close relations for decades and the Kremlin said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences.

Police search the Machchhu river

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he was "deeply saddened" while Nepal, Bhutan and Britain also sent messages of support.

Accidents from old and poorly maintained infrastructure, including bridges, are common in India.

In 2016, the collapse of a flyover onto a busy street in Kolkata killed at least 26 people.

Five years earlier, at least 32 people perished when a packed bridge collapsed in the hill resort of Darjeeling.