At least 132 people were reportedly dead in the Indian state of Gujarat after a bridge collapsed on Sunday.
The bridge was filled with sightseers who were enjoying holiday festivities when the footbridge collapsed in the river.
Reuters footage showed dozens of people clinging onto the cables and twisted remains of the bridge over the Machhu River.
The emergency response team struggled to rescue them.
Some of the victims tried to climb the broken structure and reach the river banks. A number of children were also among the victims.
“I wanted to pull some of them along with me but they had drowned or got swept away,” one of the survivors told Reuters.
“We have found 81 bodies and the final rites process has begun,” Atul Prajapati, a medical officer said.
One of the witnesses said that the bridge collapsed due to overloading.
“Many children were enjoying holidays for Diwali and they came here as tourists. All of them fell one on top of another. The bridge collapsed due to overloading,” a witness recalled.
The 230-meter bridge was constructed during the 19th century.
