Modi visits victims of Indian bridge collapse that killed 135

Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday visited the Morbi district where a bridge collapse on Sunday milled 135 people in one of the worst infrastructure accidents in the country's history.

Modi along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the bridge site in Morbi, Gujarat, while emergency crews continued to search the Machchhu river.

He was briefed about the collapse and visited surviving victims at a local hospital, wishing them a speedy recovery as they recovered from a variety of injuries.

The 140-yer-old bridge located in the western portion of the Indian state of Gujarat, fell apart over the Machchu River just days after it had reopened following repairs. The 754-foot bridge, longer than two football fields, was built in the 1870s under British rule.

While search and rescue operations were still underway on Tuesday, authorities arrested nine people, including employees of a firm contracted to maintain the bridge.

Cremation of the victims was expected to begin on Nov.1.