Vadodara bridge collapse: Vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River

A portion of the Gambhira bridge collapsed on Wednesday, which connected central Gujarat and the Saurashtra region.

On Wednesday morning, a shocking incident made the headlines, the Gambhira bridge in Vadodara collapsed. This resulted in the vehicles on the bridge plunging into the Mahisagar River. The bridge connected central Gujarat and the Saurashtra region.

The Gambhira bridge in Vadodara collapsed.

The collapse of the four-decade-old bridge in Vadodaradistrict on Wednesday led to the deaths of ten people, with nine others being rescued. A portion of the bridge, located near the town of Padra, collapsed in the morning, causing vehicles to plunge into the Mahisagar River. Rohan Anand, Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural), said that five people were brought to safety and taken to the government-run SSG Hospital in Vadodara city for treatment. He added that none of them are in a critical condition.

What happened minutes after the Gambhira bridgecollapsed?

The 10-15 metre-long slab of the Gambhira bridge caved in at 7.30 am on Wednesday. The visuals showed that the entire chunk of the slab had collapsed, causing multiple vehicles to fall into the river. The collapse led to at least six vehicles, including two vans, two trucks, a two-wheeler, and an autorickshaw, plunging into the river, PTI quoted Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya as saying. The three passengers on the 2-wheeler that fell into the river managed to swim to safety. A couple of vehicles were dangerously close to falling into the river, but were pulled away on time, according to the collector.

The fire department and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) arrived at the site following the incident and initiated rescue operations, assisted by residents. The local municipality’s fire brigade team and the Vadodara Municipal Corporation were engaged in rescue and relief operations with boats and swimmers near the site of the tragedy. Meanwhile, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel has announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh to the kin of the deceased. PM Modi too condoled the deaths due to the bridge collapse, directing an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the kin of the deceased from the PMNRF.