At least 141 people died when a pedestrian suspension bridge collapsed in Gujarat most of those who had died were women, children or elderly. The bridge in Morbi had been reopened just a week ago after repairs. The 230m (754ft) bridge on the Machchu river was built during British rule in the 19th Century.

There was overcrowding on the bridge at the time as people celebrated the Diwali festival, officials said.

The death toll is expected to rise further. Police, military and disaster response teams were deployed and the rescue effort continued through the night. Rescue operations are still underway.

More than 177 people have been rescued so far, officials said.

“Many children were enjoying holidays for Diwali and they came here as tourists,” an eyewitness told.

“All of them fell one on top of another. The bridge collapsed due to overloading.”
Videos on social media showed dozens clinging onto the wreckage as emergency teams attempted to rescue them. Some survivors clambered up the bridge’s broken netting, and others managed to swim to the river banks.

Reports said several hundred people were on the bridge when it collapsed at around 18:40 India time on Sunday.

A video shot before the collapse showed it packed with people and swaying and many gripping the netting on its sides.

Gujarat is the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has announced compensation for the families of victims. He said he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy”.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Gujarat, tweeted, “I am deeply saddened by the tragedy at Morbi. Talked to Gujarat Chief Minister Shri @Bhupendrapbjp and other officials about this. Relief and rescue operations are going on in full swing and all necessary assistance is being provided to the affected”.

The authorities have promised a full investigation. Questions are being asked about whether safety checks were done before the bridge was reopened. It is a popular tourist attraction known locally as Julto Pul (swinging bridge).

Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi has said that criminal cases under various sections of the law have been registered in connection with the incident.

Several children fell into the river,”I wanted to pull some of them along with me but they had drowned or got swept away.” mourned an eyewitness.Videos showed scenes of chaos as onlookers on the river banks tried to rescue those trapped in the water as darkness fell.

The state government will provide ₹ 4 lakh to each family that has lost a loved one. ₹ 50,000 will be given to each injured person, tweeted Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. An ex gratia of ₹ 2 lakh has been announced from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the families of the victims.