'People Were Dying Everywhere': Tea Seller Recounts Heart-wrenching Gujarat Tragedy

Eyewitness accounts paint a heart-wrenching picture of the tragedy of the collapse of the suspension bridge in Gujarat`s Morbi city on Sunday, which claimed over 140 lives including that of women and children.

Eyewitnesses recount horror tragedy

A tea seller in the vicinity, who watched with horror the recently renovated 150-year-old suspension bridge collapse said that people were hanging on to the Julto Pul, as the bridge is commonly known, went down.

"People were hanging from cables and then they slipped. I didn't sleep and we helped people the entire night. Everything happened within seconds. I saw people hanging on to the bridge and later falling into the water as their grip loosened and they slipped into the water. It was really heart-wrenching. A 7-month pregnant woman also died in the bridge collapse. It shattered me to the core," he said.

The man who sells tea every Sunday near the bridge broke down repeatedly as he recounted the horror, adding "There were just people dying everywhere. I tried helping as much as I can. Took people to the hospital."

"I have never seen anything like this. There was this small kid. We tried rescuing her. She spat out a lot of water and we were really happy that she would survive, however she soon took her last breath in front of me as we rushed her to the hospital. I was shaken," he added as tears filled his eyes.

morbi-gujarat-bridge-collapse

A local woman named Hasina Bhen choked up as she narrated the dreadful incident, adding, "I never realised when the morning dawned. My family and I were involved in rushing people to the hospital for the whole night. I have given both my vehicles to people to ferry the injured to hospitals. I have two sons and a daughter and both my sons have been just helping out people and are continuing even now."

"It really shook me when I carried dead children with my own hands as I thought of taking them to the hospital. But they had nothing left in them. It broke me. I can`t even speak about it.....," said Hasina Bhen as she broke down again.

Gujarat | "I can't describe it in words. There were children as well. I helped people as members of my own family. I also gave my vehicle to carry bodies to the hospital. The admin also helped too. I never saw anything like this ever," says Haseena, an eyewitness to #MorbiTragedy pic.twitter.com/dJ7lgj9BoU

¡ª ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2022

Others narrated how they attempted to rescue those, including children who were seen clinging on to the bridge but they had to stare helplessly as they fell into the river and either drowned or got swept away. Some able-bodied people were seen climbing up back the broken bridge, part of which was touching the water.

Probe & arrests

Oreva group, a Gujarat-based watchmaker, carried out the repairs on the century-old bridge. It reopened the bridge on October 26, the Gujarati New Year, after taking seven months for the repairs.

Two Oreva group employees have been arrested, Gujarat Police sources said. A police complaint, or First Information Report (FIR), has been filed against those responsible for the Gujarat bridge tragedy.

Meanwhile, a criminal case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. In a key development, the head of Morbi's civic body claimed that the bridge was reopened without the permission of the authorities.

NDTV

A case has been initiated under IPC sections 304, 308, and 114 against the collapse of the suspension bridge over the Macchu.

Also, an FIR has been registered while nobody has been named in the information report. Chief minister Bhupendra Patel constituted a high power committee on Sunday while leaving Ahmedabad. All officers, posted at different locations, were asked to report to Morbi by 2 am.

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