Gujarat bridge collapse: PM Modi inspects rescue operations; meets survivors in hospital

Went to Morbi, which witnessed the horrific bridge mishap. Met the bereaved families and extended condolences. I visited the site of the tragedy and went to the hospital where the injured are recovering. Also met those involved in rescue ops and chaired a review meeting, tweeted PM Modi

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong has also written to PM Modi to convey condolences , informed Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong

PM Modi chaired a high level meeting in Morbi, Gujarat to review the situation in the wake of the unfortunate bridge mishap there. The PM stated that the authorities must stay in touch with the affected families and ensure that they receive all possible help in this tragic hour. Officials briefed the PM Modi on the rescue ops and the assistance provided to those affected. PM said the need of the hour is to conduct a detailed and extensive inquiry which will identify all aspects relating to this mishap. He also added that the key learnings from the inquiry must be implemented at the very earliest. Those present at the meeting were CM Bhupendrabhai Patel, MoS Home Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of the Gujarat Government Brijesh Merja, Chief Secretary of Gujarat, State DGP, local Collector, SP,  Inspector General of Police, MLAs and MPs and other officials. Earlier, upon reaching Morbi, the PMvisited the site of the bridge mishap. He went to the local hospital where the injured are recovering. He also interacted with those involved in rescue and relief work and lauded their fortitude.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the injured admitted to Morbi Civil Hospital

PM Modi on Tuesday reached Morbi and met those who were involved in rescue and relief operations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, visits the incident site in Morbi, Gujarat, while the search and rescue operation is underway in the Machchhu river.

The Trinamool Congress took a dig at the Gujarat government on Tuesday by sarcastically thanking it for cleaning up a hospital in Morbi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit to meet the victims of the bridge collapse. Visuals of the Gujarat hospital being cleaned up in anticipation of Modi's visit have gone viral on social media.

"We thank the BJP Gujarat Govt as they took great pains to clean up the hospital for PM Narendra Modi's visit," the TMC tweeted.

"This hasty attempt to facelift the premises for the PM's photo-ops has given the patients some momentary relief. We truly are living in a morbid tragedy!" it added.

Around 134 people died when the bridge across the Machchhu river collapsed. Over a 100 injured are being treated, many of them at the Morbi civil hospital. 

Rs 4 lakhs each ex-gratia amount given to the families of deceased by state govt and Rs 2 lakhs each from PMNRF, Rs 50,000 each to injured. 17 persons remain hospitalised. 2 people remain missing, announces Gujarat Disaster Management minister Rajendra Trivedi 

China's President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to President Droupadi Murmu & PM Narendra Modi over Morbi Bridge Collapse, Reuters reported citing Chinese broadcaster CCTV

The government hospital at Morbi has got a makeover ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the facility to meet those injured in Sunday’s suspension bridge collapse which claimed 134 lives. Workers were seen cleaning and painting a portion of the 300-bed hospital, which is a ground plus two-storey structure of three wings, ahead of Modi’s visit later Tuesday.

The Supreme Court will hear a plea on November 14 seeking judicial probe into Morbi bridge collapse that claimed 135 lives.

Naim Sheikh, admitted to Civil Hospital in Morbi, said, "6 of us had gone there, 5 came back, one died. I can swim. My friends and I together managed to save a few people. It was heart-rending. I got hurt when I was bringing the people to safety."

The death toll rose to 135 after an injured victim died at the hospital.

"We resumed the search and rescue operations today. It is suspected that some bodies may be there on the floor of the river, so we resumed the operation with the help of our deep divers," VVN Prasanna Kumar, NDRF Commandant.

Gujarat: Indian Coast Guard, along with local administration and other agencies carried out search and rescue operation at the spot of Morbi bridge collapse on Tuesday.

Rescue operations on Tuesday resumed at the spot of the Morbi incident, teams of Indian Navy and NDRF deployed.

Modi emphasized on ensuring that those affected by the disaster get all possible assistance, the officials said.

“PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation in Morbi at the Raj Bhavan, Gandhinagar," an official release said.

The Gujarat government has declared statewide mourning on November 2 to pay homage to victims of the Morbi bridge collapse. This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the situation post the tragedy in which 134 people were killed on Sunday evening when the suspended bridge on the Machchhu river collapsed.

"The Gujarat government has decided to observe state-wide mourning on November 2. (The National) Flag will be flown at half mast in the state and no official function will be held," Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted.