Twenty children, including a child yet to be born, who lost one or both parents in Gujarat's Morbi bridge collapse, will benefit from an endowment of Rs 5 crore announced by the Adani Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Adani Group, according to an official statement.

At least 135 people, including women and children, were killed and over 100 are receiving treatment for their injuries sustained after a cable suspension bridge in Morbi town collapsed on October 30, plunging people into the Machchhu River.

"According to official records, 7 children were orphaned after losing both their parents and 12 children lost one of their parents in the bridge collapse. The Adani Foundation is working with the Morbi District Administration to set up endowments of Rs 25 lakh each for these children and also for the yet unborn child of a pregnant woman who lost her husband in the tragedy," the statement said. Chairperson, Adani Foundation Priti G Adani expressed her anguish over the loss of lives in the tragic incident.

"We are deeply anguished by the loss of life and share the enormous pain of those who lost their loved ones," Priti Adani said. "Among the most severely affected are the little ones, many of whom are yet to be told that their mother or father or both parents will never return home. The very least we can do in this time of great distress is to make sure that these children have the means to grow, get a proper education and lead fulfilling lives. This is why we decided to set up a fund to provide the financial support they need over their growing-up years," she added.

According to the statement, the Adani Foundation will place the funds in secured fixed deposits for the 20 children so that the principal amount remains intact while the interest goes towards supporting their needs, in consultation with the authorities overseeing the relief efforts. The Adani Foundation's Executive Director Vasant Gadhavi handed over a commitment letter for the principal amount to the Morbi District Collector.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting at Raj Bhavan, Gandhinagar to review the situation in Morbi. The Prime Minister was briefed on the rescue and relief operations that have been underway ever since the unfortunate mishap took place in Morbi. All aspects relating to the tragedy were discussed.

The high-level meeting was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Bhai Patel, Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Chief Secretary and DGP of Gujarat, along with other top officials including from the Home Department of the state and Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority. The Gujarat government has constituted a five-member committee to probe the bridge collapse incident.

Image courtesy: Adani Foundation