12 of Gujarat MP's family members among victims of Morbi bridge collapse
The BJP MP from Rajkot said 12 of his relatives – all close relatives of his elder brother – were among those killed in the tragic accident, adding that nobody responsible will be spared.
Twelve members of a Gujarat MP's family were among 133 killed Sunday after a bridge collapsed in Morbi. Family mebers of BJP parliamentarian Mohan Kundariya were visiting the site when the accident took place. Speaking to news agency PTI, Kundariya said the 12 were close relatives of his older brother and hailed from villages in the state's Tankara taluk.
"As it was Sunday, they had gone to the picnic spot where the tragedy occurred. I reached here half-hour after the incident took place and have been at the spot since yesterday, helping in the rescue work," Kundariya said.
"Four daughters of (the) brother-in-law of my older brother... the husbands of three of them... and five children died..." he said, adding, "Nobody responsible will be spared."
Initial inquiries into the tragedy reveal there was an unusually large crowd at the bridge - which spans the Machchu River - on Sunday evening. Scores of people assembled at the locally famous 'hanging bridge' to watch the immersion of idols after Chhath Puja.
At the time of the accident, there were between 400 and 500 people on the 100-year-old bridge – well over the maximum permitted capacity of 150.
It was also revealed later that the Morbi bridge was reopened – after months of repair and renovation – without proper certification. The company that undertook the renovation has yet to comment on the disaster.
(With agency inputs)
