Vadodara: Nine persons were killed and five others rescued after several vehicles fell into a river when the portion of a four-decade-old bridge collapsed in Gujarat’s Vadodara district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Five to six vehicles fell into the Mahisagar river after a slab of the Gambhira bridge, located on the river which connects central Gujarat and Saurashtra regions of the state, collapsed, Gujarat’s Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said.
The saddening incident of the bridge collapse in Vadodara happened only a day after a similar incident that took place in Jhunjhunu.
Villagers from Mujpur and surrounding areas were among the first to respond, rushing to the scene and entering the river to help pull survivors from the submerged vehicles. Emergency teams, including ambulances and divers, soon joined the effort. Four people were rescued, while search operations are ongoing for anyone still missing.
As the news spread, grief quickly turned to outrage. Locals accused the authorities of ignoring repeated warnings about the deteriorating condition of the 45-year-old bridge.
“We had raised complaints many times, but no one took action,” said a resident, pointing to visible cracks and rusted joints that had gone unrepaired for years.
Officials, including Padra Mamlatdar and senior police officers, arrived shortly after to supervise rescue efforts and launch an investigation. Divers continue to scour the riverbed, while cranes attempt to retrieve the wreckage.
The bridge, which connected Padra to the Anand district, had long been considered unsafe for heavy traffic. Its collapse has prompted renewed demands for accountability and urgent infrastructure inspections across Gujarat to prevent such avoidable disasters in the future.
