Morbi bridge collapse: The brothers who died in Sunday's disaster

On Sunday evening, Chirag Mucchadiya, 20, and his brothers, Dharmik, 17, and Chetan, 15 went connected an outing.

They told their parent Kantaben they were going to "julto pul", oregon hanging span - a historical assemblage epoch suspension footbridge, which had reopened conscionable a fewer days earlier, aft months of repairs.

It was the week of Diwali festivities. Schools were off, and galore families had the aforesaid thought arsenic Chirag and his brothers.

They bought a summons -17 rupees ($0.21) for adults and 12 for children - and walked crossed the 230-metre (755ft) bridge.

Nitin Kavaiya was besides there, on with his wife, and his 2 daughters - 1 aged seven, and the different a seven-month aged infant.

The household posed for photos, including selfies. At astir 18:30 section clip they got disconnected the span and sat connected 1 of the banks of the Macchu river.

"It was precise crowded connected the bridge. I deliberation determination mightiness person been 400-500 radical connected it," says Nitin.

"I went and told the radical selling tickets that they should trim the crowds. I don't cognize what they did astir it."

Ten minutes later, arsenic helium bent down to springiness his babe girl a sip of water, helium heard the dependable of shouting and screaming.

The span had snapped, person to the different borderline of the shore, its metallic walkway dangling connected some sides.

"I saw radical slipping into the h2o and they didn't aboveground aft that," helium says. "Others were clinging connected to parts of the span trying to enactment afloat. Many of america tried to assistance whoever we could."

At slightest 141 radical were killed. Chirag, Chetan and Dharmik were among them.

Back astatine the brothers' home, 1 of their friends told their mother, Kantaben, that the span had collapsed.

"I started calling my sons, but I couldn't get through," she says. "I was precise restless and began pacing up and down my house."

Her hubby Rajesh rushed to the scene. Then helium started doing the rounds of hospitals. At 23:00, helium recovered the bodies of Dharmik and Chirag astatine the Morbi Civil Hospital.

In the acheronian of the night, the police, section officials, catastrophe effect teams and subject unit continued their hunt for survivors, and the bodies of the dead.

At 03:00, Chetan's assemblage was besides found. At the Mucchadiya home, a dependable watercourse of mourners began to visit.

"We've mislaid each our sons, our everything," Kantaben says. "What bash we person now? My hubby and I are each alone."

Chirag, 20, worked successful a mill making spectacles. His earnings, on with what his begetter Rajesh makes moving arsenic a driver, sustained the family.

"Chirag was a precise bully person. He listened to everything I said. And I besides tried to springiness him immoderate helium asked for," Rajesh says.

Dharmik would person been 18 connected 14 December. He'd begun to look for a job. "He was precise mischievous. We had a batch of amusive together. Now they're each gone," his begetter says.

"He loved tel paratha (fried flatbread) and ever wanted maine to marque it for him," his parent adds.

Chetan was the youngest and was successful the tenth people astatine school. Rajesh describes him arsenic a "master astatine studies".

They proudly show passport size photos of their sons, which look to person been taken a fewer years ago, erstwhile they were younger.

"Whoever is liable for my sons' deaths should beryllium punished," Kantaben says. "They should rot successful jailhouse for the remainder of their lives. They should beryllium fixed the decease sentence."

Rajesh adds: "We privation answers. And we privation justice."

There are galore families who've mislaid much than 1 subordinate successful the collapse.

Nine radical person been arrested truthful far, including the summons sellers, information guards and managers of Oreva, the institution which renovated the bridge.

Oreva has not responded to questions astir the collapse. Some are asking if top-level managers successful the institution volition besides beryllium investigated.

Many connected the crushed are besides questioning the relation of civic officials - asking if information checks were done earlier the span was reopened.

"Whenever I adjacent my eyes present I lone spot the ocular of the collapsed bridge, and perceive the voices of the radical who were plunged into the river," says Nitin.

"I tore the summons stub I had successful anger. And it's not conscionable maine - the full municipality is successful grief and anger."

Rajesh, meanwhile, calls for a "proper investigation".

"Otherwise," helium says, "people volition support dying similar my children did."