Until 6:30 pm on Sunday, 35 years old Arifsha, a clockmaker in Morbi town, was leading a simple life with his family consisting of his wife and two children - a daughter and a son. Minutes later, he was left all alone in the world with his wife and children drowned to death in Machchhu river along with 132 others after the town's iconic pedestrian suspension bridge broke into two pieces.
His wife Anisha, 28, daughter Amiya, 8 and son Afridsha, 5 drowned in the river. He said that the three had gone to "julto pul", a major tourist attraction among locals, along with five other family members that included Arifsha's niece, Muskan and his sister Nasim. He said that seven of them didn't return and their dead bodies were recovered by the rescue teams.
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"I have just come back home after burying them. I absolutely have no idea what is happening. Until 6 PM last evening, the last time I saw my wife and two children, I had a happy family. Suddenly, I am left all alone," Arifsha told DH over the phone.
He works as a clockmaker in the town, known for manufacturing 80 to 90 per cent of wall clocks in the country. They are largely micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Some of the brands include Ajanta-Oreva, Sonam, among others. Incidentally, officials of the Oreva group are alleged to be responsible for the tragedy. The company had a contract for repair work and managing the bridge.
Most of the victims had gone to the bridge with their families. Prakash Parmar, 24, one of the survivors told DH, "I had gone with my brother Chetan, sister Sangita, cousins Chirag, Dharmik and Chetan. At 6:40 pm, I don't know how but the floor of the bridge started falling down and people started screaming. I somehow managed to hold the cables and saved myself. After realising what had happened, I jumped into the river to save my relatives. I found my sister unconscious. I took her out of the river and pressed her stomach to get water out. She survived but the rest of the relatives drowned."
The town
A day after the tragedy, the town famous for its ceramic tile industry remained shut. The Rs 50,000 crore ceramic industry roughly produces 70 per cent of the country's tiles and largely exports it abroad. Most of the victims of the bridge collapse were daily wagers or workers in small-scale industries. Many had come from neighbouring districts to their relatives during the prolonged Diwali vacation.
The Morbi district was carved out of neighbouring Rajkot and Surendranagar districts on August 15, 2013. It has five talukas-Morbi, Maliya, Tankara, Wankaner and Halvad. Morbi is the district headquarters, situated on the Machchhu river, which is located 35 km from the sea and 60 km from Rajkot. The river Machchhu originates from Madla hills and falls into Rann of Kutch, covering a distance of 130 km.
The iconic pedestrian suspension bridge is said to have been built in 1887 by erstwhile Morbi state, then ruled by Sir Waghji Ravaji. Morbi district's official website describes the bridge as "an engineering marvel". It is 1.25 metres wide and spans 233 m on the Machchhu river connecting Darbargadh Palace and Lakhdhirji Engineering College. Ravaji is said to have created the town using a western architectural style. It has a town square known as "Green Chowk" approached by three gates.