AHMEDABAD: Amidst the tales of tragedies unfolding from the Morbi suspension bridge collapse event, the story of a newlywed couple is particularly heartwrenching.
Harsh Jhalavdia and Meera celebrated their wedding five months ago. The couple who were working as software engineers in Bangalore decided to visit Harsh's hometown Rajkot for the festival of Diwali.
On Saturday, they visited Harsh's aunt in Morbi along with Harsh's parents. After having dinner at her place, they decided to go for a stroll across the newly-renovated suspension bridge, known as the swinging bridge (jhulto pul) in Morbi.
The British-era suspension bridge snapped in half around 6:30 PM and over 140 people fell into the Machchhu river.
Meera died instantly. Harsh was shifted to Rajkot hospital for treatment but he did not survive.
Harsh, his parents, and Meera were incidentally supposed to return to Rajkot from their relative's house in Morbi on Sunday morning. They, however, decided to stay back upon Harsh's cousin's insistence.
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Harsh’s cousin and his wife too had accompanied the newlyweds on the ill-fated bridge. They too lost their lives. Their seven-year-old son was rescued but later succumbed to his injuries.
A child's tears and a selfie to remember
Nine-year-old Netra unwittingly saved the lives of his family members, Bhanubhai, Sagarbhai, Komal, and Khewna, on Sunday. The Mehta family who reside in Rahula were in Morbi visiting their relatives.
On Sunday, the five of them went to the suspension bridge which had opened to the public just a few days back. The family hadn't gotten even halfway across the bridge when it started shaking a little. Sagar recounts how they decide to not go further after their toddler started crying in fright. "We took a selfie and left the bridge. We got into our car and drove back. Within 15 minutes, the news of the bridge collapse reached us. If our Netra had not cried, we, too, would have died in this tragedy," Sagar says.
The family then posted their selfie taken on the bridge on social media to assuage their panic-stricken relatives.