Repairs completed days ago

The Indian pedestrian bridge that fell on Sunday reopened only last week after repairs.

● It was built in 1877 in the town of Morbi in Gujarat state when the British ruled India. The site is about four hours by road from the state’s main city of Ahmedabad.

● The bridge is 1.25m wide and spans 233m on the Machchhu river connecting the Darbargadh Palace heritage hotel and the town.

● Local authorities call the bridge an “engineering marvel” that was built to give a unique identity to Morbi using the latest technology available in those days, in Europe.

● Local authorities said the Oreva group, maker of Ajanta clocks and electrical products, was this year awarded a contract to maintain and manage the bridge for 15 years. It reopened last week after months of renovation.

● Sandeepsinh Zala, chief officer of Morbi municipality, said Oreva did not inform authorities about reopening the bridge and had not been issued a fitness certificate to do so. Oreva officials did not respond to requests from Reuters for comment.

● An Oreva group spokesperson told the Indian Express: “While we are waiting for more information, prima facie, the bridge collapsed as too many people in the midsection of the bridge were trying to sway it from one way to the other.”

● The bridge was earlier maintained by the local municipality, which used to limit the number of people on the bridge at one time to 20. Jayrajsinh Jadeja, a councillor of the ruling BJP party in Morbi, said that on Sunday 400 to 500 tickets were issued which led to overcrowding and the collapse.

● Footage from just before the collapse showed a group of young men taking photos while others tried to sway the bridge before they tumbled into the river as the metal cables gave way.