Leaders extend condolences to India over deadly bridge collapse

Rescuers search for victims and rescue those trapped at the scene of the bridge collapse. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA)– Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on October 31 sent a message ofcondolences to his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu over the collapse of a bridgein Gurajat state a day earlier, killing many people.

On the same day, PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh also extended condolences to his Indian counterpart NarendraModi.

The death toll rose to134 on October 31, including many children, as police detained nine people aspart of a criminal investigation into one of the deadliest accidents in thecountry in the past 10 years, Reuters reported.

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

The bridge over the Machchhu river around200 kilometres (120 miles) west of Gujarat's main city, Ahmedabad, had onlyreopened several days earlier after months of repairs./.

VNA