At least 132 people have died in India when a colonial-era suspension footbridge connecting the banks of a river collapsed Sunday evening in the western state of Gujarat, police said.

Authorities estimate that about 500 people, including many women and children, were taking part in religious celebrations on and around the bridge when the cables holding it up broke as night fell.

“The death toll at the moment is 130,” Rahul Tripathi, a police officer in Morbi where the crash unfolded, told AFP, adding that about 15 others were hospitalized.

For his part, local official N.K. Machar told the Reuters news agency that the death toll had “increased to 132”.

The bridge over the river Machu, which passes through Morbi, about 200 km west of Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, was built during the period of British colonial rule. It has just reopened to the public after several months of maintenance.

“People fell on top of each other when the bridge gave way. They gathered for the Diwali (s.s. “light”) ceremony. There are many women and children among the victims,” an eyewitness told the Indian media.

Police Chief Morby P. Dekavadia previously told AFP that more than 130 people had been rescued.

Opened without certificate

According to Indian media, the suspension bridge, 233 meters long, was built in 1880 with materials brought to Gujarat from England. It reopened to the public last Wednesday after seven months of renovations without a safety certificate issued by the authorities, according to information provided by the NDTV television network.

The rescue operation involves divers, boats and dozens of servicemen.

Federal Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is based in Gujarat — where he is from and where he achieved political prominence — has called for an “urgent mobilization of rescue teams” and assistance to all those affected, his Twitter service said in a tweet.

Accidents on aging and poorly maintained infrastructure are common in India, especially on bridges.

In 2016, the collapse of an elevated footbridge over a busy road in the city of Kolkata (east) killed at least 26 people.

In 2011, at least 32 people were killed when a bridge they were on collapsed during a religious festival in northeast India, about 30 kilometers from the city of Darjeeling.

Less than a week later, about 30 more people were killed when a footbridge connecting two banks of a river in Arunachal Pradesh (northeast) collapsed.

In 2006, at least 34 people were killed when a 150-year-old bridge collapsed onto an express train at a station in the state of Bihar (east).

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters.