India: Collapsed bridge: Repair company involved

Agency responsible for reconstruction 135 people died in Morbi Bridge collapse The first elements of the investigation, including 47 children, were heard by the prosecutor on Sunday in the West Indies. About 500 people had gathered on the pedestrian bridge for Diwali celebrations, about 200 kilometers west of Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s main city.

Nine people linked to local group Orewa, a manufacturer of watches and electric bicycles but manager of the bridge, have already been arrested for manslaughter after the disaster, one of India’s worst in decades. After the preliminary hearing on Tuesday evening, Attorney General Harshendu Panjal told reporters that Orewa had hired contractors who were not sufficiently qualified. “The main bridge cable was not replaced during the reconstruction,” he said. Police believe there may be,” he continued.

The 233-meter-long bridge, a major tourist attraction in the region, reopened to the public last Wednesday after seven months of renovation work that cost 20 million rupees ($240,000). According to Gujarat officials, no compliance certificate was issued before the work was brought back into service.

Local authorities had awarded Orewa a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the bridge, but according to investigative sources, the company had no experience in this type of management. Orewa Group director Deepak Parekh told the court: “It was God’s will that such an unfortunate incident should happen.” He and another Orewa director, along with two contractors, were taken into custody, while five ticket sellers and security guards were sent to jail for questioning.

Accidents involving old and poorly maintained infrastructure, including bridges, are common in India, but given the scale of the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the scene on Tuesday and promised a “comprehensive and thorough investigation to identify all aspects of the tragedy”. .

Flags were at half-mast in Gujarat on Wednesday and all official and recreational events were cancelled.