Morbi suspension bridge: On Sunday, the metal carriageway built on the Machchhu River connecting Darbargadh Palace and Lakhdhirji Engineering College collapsed and caused the deaths of over 130 people who were walking over it at the time. The bridge was under repair for the past seven months and had reopened just four days before the tragic incident took place. Even as search and rescue operations are underway to find the missing persons, many on social media have become curious about the more than century-old suspension bridge in Morbi district of Gujarat, located 300 km from the state capital Gandhinagar.
Morbi suspension bridge was installed in the British era
The Morbi suspension bridge is one of the tourist attractions in the district. It was built to give a unique identity to the place. The bridge was built in the reign of Waghjee Thakor, who ruled over it from 1879 till 1948. It was constructed using the latest technology that was available at the time. It is 1.25 m wide and spans 233 m. The structure was inspired by the Colonial influence and was built to connect Darbargadh Palace with Nazarbag Palace (the residences of the then royalty).
Among other construction work that he oversaw during his rule, Waghjee Thakor's Mani Mandir is considered to be the 'symbol of love' and is a popular tourist spot.
Read: Morbi Bridge Collapse: Anupam Kher, Vivek Agnihotri lead Bollywood in expressing grief over incident
People jumped on the suspension bride
After reopening, the public was charged Rs 17 per person to access the structure. A video has been going viral on social media that showed people jumping on the British-era suspension bridge. This may have added unnecessary load on the structure causing the thick cables to snap in places. However, the repair work on the bridge was completed recently and it was reopened for the public on October 26 (Gujarati New Year). Now, a probe has been launched into the matter.
