Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the victims of the Morbi bridge tragedy on Tuesday evening. He inspected the site of the bridge collapse and had a word with local officials about the unfortunate incident. He was accompanied by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and cabinet minister Harsh Sanghavi. Hours before Modi landed in Morbi, the government announced Rs 6 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Post inspection, Modi and Patel interacted with the injured at the Morbi Civil Hospital. More than 134 people lost their lives in this tragedy–56 of them were children and teenagers. Around 100 people were injured and admitted to the hospital. After meeting the injured victims admitted at the Morbi Civil Hospital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the SP’s office in Morbi.
After the visit PM Modi shared on his social media: 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.
Earlier on October 31, PM Modi made remarks about this tragedy in Kevadia. He said, “I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident. In this hour of grief, the government is with the bereaved families in every manner. The Gujarat government has been carrying out relief and rescue operations since yesterday. Centre too is extending all help to the State government. Priority is being given to ensure that people face minimum problems.”
Earlier in the day, Bhupendra Patel said, “We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for staying with us in this hard time and guiding us to lead Gujarat out of this grief.”
Search operation continued in the Machchu River two days after the incident which claimed over 140 lives. NDRF Commandant, VVN Prasanna Kumar, who is overseeing the rescue operation, said that a few bodies could be lying on the river bed.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has listed the petition seeking a judicial inquiry into the bridge collapse for hearing on November 14.
