India's Morbi bridge collapse death toll rises to 135 as search continues - Reuters India

MORBI, India, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The decease toll from an Indian ft span illness roseate to 135 connected Tuesday with hunt operations entering a 3rd day, though authorities said astir each those believed to person been missing are present accounted for.

The colonial-era suspension span implicit the Machchhu stream successful Morbi was packed with sightseers - galore successful municipality to observe the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals - erstwhile it broke connected Sunday evening, sending radical plunging astir 10 metres (33 feet) into the water.

Authorities said they judge that astir 200 radical were connected the span erstwhile it collapsed.

"One idiosyncratic who was injured successful the incidental and admitted to the infirmary succumbed to his injuries, taking the toll to 135," GT Pandya, a elder administrative authoritative successful Morbi, told Reuters.

"Search operations person begun again today. We judge 1 idiosyncratic is missing astatine present."

Local residents astatine the country of the wrecked span connected Tuesday told Reuters, however, that they believed much than 200 radical were connected the span and fearfulness the decease toll could emergence further.

Indian army, navy and nationalist catastrophe effect unit (NDRF) teams continued hunt operations arsenic locals gathered connected the banks of the river. The bridge - 233 metres successful magnitude and 1.25 metres wide - was primitively built successful 1877 and had been closed for six months for repairs until past week.

"It is suspected that immoderate bodies whitethorn beryllium determination connected the level of the river. That's wherefore we resumed the operations with the assistance of our heavy divers," NDRF authoritative VVN Prasanna Kumar told Reuters TV spouse ANI.

CCTV footage of the incidental showed a radical of young men trying to stone the span from broadside to broadside portion others took the photos earlier they tumbled into the stream beneath arsenic the cables gave way.

Indian constabulary arrested 9 radical connected Monday connected charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Those arrested included ticketing clerks accused of letting excessively galore radical onto the span and contractors that had been successful complaint of repair work.

The occidental authorities of Gujarat, wherever Morbi is located, declared that Wednesday would beryllium a time of mourning.

The authorities authorities said successful a connection 152 radical had been discharged from the infirmary portion 17 were inactive undergoing treatment.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hails from Gujarat and was the state's main curate for adjacent to 13 years, volition sojourn the concern municipality aboriginal successful the day.

Modi, who had been touring the authorities which has elections owed by aboriginal adjacent year, is expected to sojourn the catastrophe tract and Morbi hospital, officials said.

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party was attacked by absorption parties for what they called an unseemingly caller overgarment occupation for the infirmary up of the premier minister's visit.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping were the latest to nonstop condolences for the nonaccomplishment of lives, galore of whom were children.

"In this hard hour, we volition proceed to basal with and enactment the Indian people," Biden said successful a statement.

China's authorities broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi arsenic saying: "On behalf of the Chinese authorities and the Chinese people, I would similar to explicit our heavy condolences to the victims and widen our sincere sympathy to their families and the injured."

Reporting by Shivam Patel and Sumit Khanna; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly successful Mumbai; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Jacqueline Wong

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