9 die as portion of 40-year-old bridge over Mahisagar river collapses in Vadodara
Known as the Gambhira Bridge, it is part of the state highway connecting Padra in Vadodara to Anand district.
Known as the Gambhira Bridge, it is part of the state highway connecting Padra in Vadodara to Anand district.
Known as the Gambhira Bridge, it is part of the state highway connecting Padra in Vadodara to Anand district.
Ahmedabad: Nine persons, including a child, died and nine others were rescued after a portion of a 40-year-old bridge over the Mahisagar River collapsed in Padra taluka of Vadodara district, Gujarat, early Wednesday morning. Known as the Gambhira Bridge, it is part of the state highway connecting Padra in Vadodara to Anand district.
“It is a very unfortunate incident. Our experts and rescue teams have reached the spot,” said state government spokesperson Rishikesh Patel.
"According to the details available, around nine persons have died and another nine persons have been rescued, out of whom five have been referred to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara. None of the rescued persons is in critical condition. The rescue operation is still going on," Anand said.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the tragedy and said that an order has been issued to the state's roads and buildings department to investigate the collapse and submit a report.
In a post on X, he said teams of the state roads and buildings department and private engineers specialising in bridge construction have been instructed to immediately reach the spot and conduct a preliminary investigation into the causes of the collapse and other technical matters, and submit a report.
"The fire brigade team of the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation are working with boats and swimmers at the accident site as part of the rescue and relief operations. The NDRF team has also reached the scene and joined the rescue operation," the CM said.
Visuals from the site showed a tanker truck hanging on a damaged portion of the bridge. According to police, one truck, a van, a car and a couple of two-wheelers plunged into the river, which was swollen due to recent rainfall. Police said the bridge was built in 1985 and had recently been under repair.
The latest bridge collapse comes three years after Morbi bridge collapse in the state. On October 30, 2022, a suspension bridge for pedestrians over the Machchhu River in Morbi, had collapsed, killing at least 141 people and injuring over 180.