NEW DELHI: At least nine people were killed and several others injured after a portion of the Gambhira bridge in Padra town in Gujarat state in western India collapsed on Wednesday (July 9).
A truck and several cars plunged into the Mahisagar river.
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi told reporters nine bodies had been recovered and six people rescued.
He said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered public works teams “to go there and take concrete measures”.
Cabinet Minister Rushikesh Patel, a civil engineer, said the bridge was built in 1985 and had undergone regular maintenance and repairs.
Reacting to the accident, the opposition Congress party alleged in a post on X that the bridge collapse “exposes the rampant corruption carried out in the name of the ‘Gujarat Model’”.
In 2022, more than 140 people were killed after a cable suspension bridge in Gujarat’s Morbi city collapsed days after its renovation.
Union Home Minister on Wednesday expressed grief and sorrow over the Gambhira bridge collapse in Vadodara district of Gujarat, in which nine people were killed and several others injured.
In a social media post, the minister said that the NDRF personnel have already begun relief and rescue work at the accident site.
“The accident that occurred in Vadodara district of Gujarat is very tragic. The NDRF team has reached the accident site and is engaged in relief and rescue operations, and all possible assistance is being provided to the victims. My condolences are with those who have lost their loved ones in this accident. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Shah said in the post on X.
Vadodara Superintendent of Police (SP) Rohan Anand confirmed the death of nine people, and said injured were being given medical treatment at the nearby hospitals.
The police officer told media persons that a 10-15 metre slab in the middle of the bridge had collapsed. Two trucks, as many pickup vans, and a rickshaw fell into the river while two vehicles remained stranded on the broken bridge, he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of the deceased in the bridge collapse. The injured would get Rs 50,000. PM Modi also paid condolences to the families of the deceased. - The Statesman/ANN
