VADODARA, July 9: At least nine people lost their lives and five others were rescued after a portion of the Gambhira bridge collapsed in Gujarat’s Vadodara district early Wednesday morning, sending several vehicles crashing into the Mahisagar river below, police officials confirmed.
The tragic incident occurred at approximately 7:30 AM, when a slab of the four-decade-old Gambhira bridge — which connects the central Gujarat region with Saurashtra — gave way, resulting in the fall of at least five vehicles, including two trucks and two vans, into the river, according to Vadodara Rural Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand.
“The rescue operation is ongoing. So far, nine deaths have been confirmed. Five persons were pulled out alive and are currently undergoing treatment,” said Padra police inspector Vijay Charan, who is supervising rescue efforts on the ground.
Gujarat Health and Transport Minister Rushikesh Patel stated that the bridge, inaugurated in 1985, had undergone periodic maintenance. “The exact cause of the collapse is not immediately clear, but a thorough technical investigation will be carried out,” he added.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed a team of technical experts to visit the site and initiate a probe into the structural failure. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured that those injured would receive the best possible medical care.
Dramatic visuals from the site showed a large central portion of the bridge, located between two piers, completely submerged, with rescue personnel and local volunteers pulling survivors from the water. The affected portion of the 900-metre-long bridge, which has 23 piers, lies between Vadodara and Anand districts.
Emergency response teams, including personnel from the Vadodara Fire Department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local volunteers, were deployed immediately. The rescue operation is still underway as teams continue to search for possible survivors and recover additional vehicles from the riverbed.
