Leaders extend condolences to India over deadly bridge collapse

Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on October 31 sent a message of condolences to his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu over the collapse of a bridge in Gurajat state a day earlier, killing many people.
Rescue efforts have continued to try and find people who became trapped in the water. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Rescue efforts have continued to try and find people who became trapped in the water. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

On the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also extended condolences to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

The death toll rose to 134 on October 31, including many children, as police detained nine people as part of a criminal investigation into one of the deadliest accidents in the country in the past 10 years, Reuters reported.

Footage from just before the collapse showed a group of young men taking photos while others tried to rock the bridge from side to side, before they tumbled into the river below as the cables holding it together gave way.

The bridge over the Machchhu river around 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Gujarat's main city, Ahmedabad, had only reopened several days earlier after months of repairs.

VNA