Morbi bridge collapse: Gujarat govt appoints five-member panel to probe, NDRF rushes teams

A five-member committee of bureaucrats and police officers has been appointed by the Gujarat government to probe into the suspension bridge collapse at Morbi that killed over 60 persons

Rescuers on boats search in the Machchu river next to a cable bridge that collapsed in Morbi town of western state Gujarat, India, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP Photo)

The Gujarat government has appointed a five-member committee of bureaucrats and police officers to probe into the suspension bridge collapse at Morbi that killed over 60 persons.

In a tweet, Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi said the members of the committee are, Sandeep Vasava, Secretary of Roads & Buildings, Rajkumar Beniwal, Commissioner, Municipalities Administration, Subhash Trivedi, IGP CID (Crime), Chief Engineer KM Patel and Dr Gopal Tank, head of department (Applied Mechanics) LD College of Engineering, Ahmedabad.

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Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rushed three teams to the accident spot. NDRF Director General (DG) Atul Karwal told PTI that the three teams have been moved from state capital Gandhinagar (two teams) and Vadodara (one team).

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He said each of the three teams comprises 30 rescuers and four boats and is led by senior officers.

Another team will be airlifted in some time and it will move via road from Rajkot to the accident site, Karwal said.
Gandhinagar is about 240 kilometres from Morbi, Vadodara is more than 300 kilometres away and Rajkot is about 70 kilometres away.

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Officials said a Gujarat State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team closer to Morbi was the first to reach the accident site and the NDRF was mobilised around 7.30 pm. NDRF rescuers will take around four-five hours to reach the spot, they said.

The NDRF has asked the state government to ensure that its vehicles are given priority clearance on roads so that they can reach the spot as soon as possible.

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