The Gujarat Police on Monday arrested nine people, including two managers of clock maker Oreva Group, in the tragic pedestrian bridge-collapse in Morbi town in Gujarat that claimed over 134 lives on Sunday evening.

The clock and digital calculator maker, Oreva Group of Morbi, had won a 15-year contract to operate and manage the bridge, which was built in the colonial era in the 19th century. The 754-foot long suspension bridge was under maintenance and was reopened to the public on October 26.

Ashok Yadav, Rajkot Range-IG, stated that as part of the investigation, so far nine people have been arrested, including two managers of Oreva company, two ticket clerks, two officials of the bridge repair company, and three security guards for their negligence in managing the crowd.

The First Information Report (FIR) was filed at Morbi police station late on Sunday against the “bridge maintenance agency” and “management agency” under sections 308, 304, and 114 of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR stated around 250-300 people were on the bridge at the time of its collapse.

On Monday the death-toll inched up to at least 134 including 16 children below 10 years of age and about 51 women. More than 100 sustained injuries, while seven were admitted to the hospital.

“We have filed the FIR with the strictest sections. The investigation is on and, as and when required, more arrests will follow. We want to set an example with the strictest action,” said Yadav. More than 24 hours after the incident, the rescue teams continued searching for more bodies in the riverbed of the Machchhu river.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, and senior government officials camped at Morbi, about 300 kilometers from the State capital. The government has formed a five-member committee to probe the bridge collapse, with senior government officials, civil engineering experts, and crime detection officials as its members.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was at Kevadia when the mishap took place on Sunday evening, expressed grief over the incident. On Monday morning, while delivering an address at the event marking Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar, Modi said, “I am in Kevadia but my heart is with the Morbi bridge collapse victims.” The Prime Minister later flew to Banaskantha district in North Gujarat to inaugurate and start work on irrigation projects worth ₹8,034 crore. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the Prime Minister would visit Morbi on Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the international leaders mourned the deaths of innocent citizens and expressed solidarity with the grieving families. Russian President Putin expressed condolences to the families of the Morbi bridge collapse victims. The US Embassy put out a statement, “The U.S. Mission in India is deeply saddened by the news of the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi, Gujarat. Our condolences go out to the victims and families of this terrible tragedy.” The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Saudi Arabia, in its statement, expressed “sincere condolences to the friendly Republic of India due to the unfortunate collapse of a suspension bridge in the western Indian state of Gujarat, which caused a number of casualties.”

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for Foreign Commonwealth & Development Affairs, UK, expressed sorrow over the tragic collapse of the bridge in Gujarat, India. “My thoughts & prayers are with the victims, their families, and the emergency services,” he said.

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