80 killed, dozens injured as bridge collapses in India

It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were on the 764-foot-long bridge, but officials fear the death toll could rise

Victims of a cable bridge collapse being rushed for treatment in Morbi district, western Gujarat state, India (AP)

At least 80 people died and many are feared injured after a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in the western Indian state of Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging in the water, officials said.

Authorities said the 19th-century, colonial-era bridge over the Machchu river in the state’s Morbi district collapsed because it could not handle the weight of the large crowd, as the Hindu festival season drew hundreds of people to the recently opened tourist attraction.