Vadodara: At least nine people lost their lives after the Gambhira bridge connecting Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat collapsed on Wednesday, July 9. Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River. However, a tanker had a close shave as it stopped just at the edge of the broken bridge.
A video of the tanker hanging in the middle of the broken bridge surfaced online. In the video, it could be seen that a slab of the Gambhira bridge fell into the river. The front part of the vehicle was on the broken portion of the bridge.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is reported in several parts of Gujarat, received heavy rainfall in the past few days, throwing normal life out of gear.
Here Is The Video:
The bridge connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region. The bridge was located near Padra town in the district. 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," Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural) Rohan Anand said as reported by PTI.
As per the police official, a 10 to 15 metres long slab of the bridge collapsed at around 7.30 am. Five vehicles -- two trucks, two vans and an autorickshaw -- fell into the river after the bridge collapsed, Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya said. Three people on a two-wheeler, which fell into the river, managed to swim to safety, Dhameliya added.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the tragedy and said an order has been given to the state's roads and buildings department to conduct a probe into the collapse and submit a report.
Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel said the bridge was constructed in 1985, and its maintenance was carried out periodically as and when required. "The exact reason behind the incident will be probed," he said.
The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and was inaugurated in 1985.
