GANDHINAGAR: At least 12 people, including three members of a family, were killed and nine others injured when a bridge in Gujarat’s Vadodara district collapsed early Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred when the 43-year-old Gambhira Bridge, which had been constructed in 1985, gave way, causing multiple vehicles to fall into the Mahisagar River.
According to Gujarat’s Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, several vehicles plunged into the river, and a tanker was left hanging precariously over the edge. The collapse sent shockwaves through the region, with local authorities reporting that at least 11 people had died initially, but rescue teams later recovered one more body, bringing the death toll to 12.
Gujarat’s Superintendent of Police, Rohan Anand, confirmed that a case of accidental death had been registered, and police would conduct a probe after the rescue operations concluded. The bodies were transported to Padra Referral Hospital for autopsy.
Rescue teams, including local authorities, were dispatched to the scene as soon as the bridge collapsed. Anil Dhameliya, a senior civil servant, confirmed that at least nine bodies had been recovered, with five others reported injured. Rescue operations are still ongoing as efforts continue to retrieve any remaining survivors or bodies from the river.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the victims’ families, describing the incident as “deeply saddening.” He assured that authorities were doing everything possible to aid the ongoing recovery operations.
The tragic incident in Gujarat comes on the heels of several similar infrastructure-related disasters in India. Last month, a bridge over the Indrayani River in Pune collapsed, claiming at least two lives and sweeping several people into the river.
The collapse also highlights long-standing safety concerns in India’s infrastructure. In 2022, a colonial-era suspension bridge in Gujarat collapsed into the Machchu River, causing the deaths of at least 132 people, raising serious questions about the maintenance and safety standards of many of the country’s bridges.
