The public prosecutor in the Morbi bridge collapse case quoted a report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) saying the cables of the 140-year-old bridge were not changed by the contractor. Public Prosecutor Harsendu Panchal, quoting the report, said that the rusted ropes were only painted and not changed.

More than 140 people died when the bridge over Machchu River collapsed on Sunday evening. The contract to refurbish the bridge was given to Morbi’s Oreva Group, famous for manufacturing wall clocks.

The group’s head, Jaysukh Patel, had reopened the bridge on the Gujarat New Year’s Day on October 26 — just four days before the tragedy — and had claimed that it would last another eight to ten years. Jaysukh Patel has not been seen in public after the incident.

Panchal, who submitted the detailed FSL report in a sealed cover before the First Class Judicial Magistrate late Tuesday, told the media on Wednesday that the report revealed that the cables were not replaced. He further said there was no discussion about Oreva company’s owner Jaysukh Patel.

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