NEW DELHI — At least 30 people were killed after a 100-year-old bridge collapsed in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Sunday evening, officials said.
Search-and-rescue efforts are underway, said Brijesh Merja, a minister in the Gujarat government. About 350 people were on and around the bridge, a major tourist attraction, at the time of the collapse, he said. He added that about 70 people had been rescued.
The collapse happened four days after the bridge was reopened to the public after seven months of renovation work.
Video broadcast by local television channels showed dozens of people clinging to a portion of the bridge and crying for help. Rescue workers scrambled to retrieve victims from the river.
India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, who is in Gujarat for a three-day visit, directed officials to mobilize rescue teams. He also announced cash compensation for the family of those killed and injured.
