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Indian police on Monday arrested nine people, including contractors and ticketing agents, over the disastrous suspension bridge collapse that killed at least 134 pedestrians.
Inspector-General Ashok Yadav said the nine people arrested in connection to the disaster Sunday in the small industrial city of Morbi included managers of the bridge’s operator, Oreva Group, tickets clerks and three security guards.
“We won’t let the guilty get away, we won’t spare anyone,” Yadav warned.
Surveillance video capturing the final moments before the tragedy showed a group of young men taking photos on the overcrowded colonial-era bridge while others were rocking it from side to side, before they all tumbled more than 30 feet into the Machchhu River below as the cables snapped.
Gujarat authorities opened a case against bridge operator Oreva for suspected culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide and other violations.
In March, the local Morbi town government awarded a 15-year contract to maintain and manage the bridge built in 1877 during the British occupation to Oreva — a group of companies known mainly for making clocks, mosquito zappers and electric bikes.
The same month, Oreva closed the bridge, which spans a wide section of the Machchu River, for repairs.
The bridge has been repaired several times in the past and many of its original parts have been replaced over the years.
It was reopened nearly seven months later, on Oct. 26, the first day of the Gujarati New Year, which coincides with the Hindu festival season, and the attraction drew hundreds of sightseers.
Sandeepsinh Zala, a Morbi official, told the Indian Express newspaper the company reopened the bridge without first obtaining a certificate indicating that it was fit for public use.
