Ahmedabad (Gujarat): In the Morbi bridge collapse, seven-year-old girl Harshi managed to survive by clinging to a cable but lost both of her parents in the tragic accident that left over 130 people dead. Now, it has now fallen on the shoulders of her aged grandparents to deal with the trauma of their son's loss on one hand and look after the future upbringing and schooling of their granddaughter.
On the fateful day of October 30, Harshi, a resident of Ahmedabad, was eagerly awaiting the return of their parents from a visit to Kutch. As per the plan, they reunited in Morbi and went out on a visit to the recently reopened suspension bridge on the Machhu river. However, their reunion celebration soon turned into a deadly nightmare that left the 7-year-old girl orphaned in a matter of seconds.
Still unable to recover from those chilling moments, Harshi recounted, "I arrived to Morbi, where my mother and father had just returned from Kutch. After that, my parents and I traveled to Morbi to view the bridge. Then, after its collapse, my parents fell into the river because the water in it was so dirty. I was still clutching the flower string in my hand. A policeman had saved me."
The girl's grandfather, Jesung Bhai Chavda, said Harshi saved herself by grabbing the bridge's cable. Her father Ashok Chavda and mother Bhavna could not escape from the killer bridge. Harshi along with her parents has been living in Ahmedabad. Her parents visited Kutch and planned a continuing visit to relatives in Morbi. They all met in Morbi and visited the bridge only to see their lives turn upside down in just one day.
