Criticism of local authorities grow louder after tragic bridge collapse in India

The death toll after a suspended footbridge collapsed in the Indian Gujarat region rose to 135 as of November 01, the Indian Express reported.

Caliber.Az provides a summary of what is known so far about the tragedy.

The army, navy and national disaster response teams are continuing search operations for a third day with two people still missing. The Indian publication reported, that 40 women and 34 children are among the dead.

The hanging footbridge was located in the Morbi municipality of the Gujarat region in Western India, with the collapse happening only 4 days after it was reopened. The bridge, 233 metres in length and 1.25 metres wide - was previously closed for over seven months for repair and renovation work. Around 200 people were on the colonial-era bridge at the moment it collapsed on October 30.

Nine people have been arrested and are being investigated for culpable homicide charges, the state police said on October 31. CNN reported that all of the suspects are associated with the Gujarat-based company that carried out the renovation works, Oreva Group, manufacturing clocks and electrical products. They were awarded a contract to maintain and manage the bridge for the next 15 years.

Among the arrested are two managers, two ticket clerks, two contractors and three security guards, according to senior police officer Ashok Kumar Yadav.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the bridge collapse site on November 1, two days after the tragedy to take stock of the situation, being accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

According to the Indian Express, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Morbi bridge collapse was a result of "massive corruption".

"Why was a watchmaking company which had no experience of bridge construction allowed to do so?", he asked during a press conference.

The publication also cites the Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, who said on October 31 that the western state of Gujarat has suffered “the consequences of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s series of sins”, which triggered a war of words between the state’s ruling party and the Opposition.

As Reuters reported, officials in the Gujarat municipality were heavily criticized after photos emerged of the government-run GMERS Hospital, where most of the injured are admitted, getting a hasty makeover ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on November 1, with a political party expressing their anger on social media, writing "141 people are dead, hundreds of people are missing, no action has been taken against the real culprits, but BJP workers are more concerned over photoshoots and cover-ups".