A major tragedy had struck early Wednesday morning as the Gambhira Bridge, connecting Vadodara and Anand districts, had collapsed suddenly. The bridge collapse led several vehicles to fall into the Mahi River flowing under the bridge, along with the death toll rising constantly.
As per latest news, the death toll has risen to 19. A certain Narendrasinh Ratansinh Parmar from Dahivan village, who was admitted at the Sayaji Hospital, died while undergoing treatment today. On the day of the incident, 13 bodies were recovered from the site; on Thursday, 5 other bodies were found. Two dead bodies are still missing. Search operations for the same are going on.
Teams of NDRF, SDRF, and the fire brigade are working tirelessly since the collapse in order to search for those who died in the incident, and those who got swept away by the river’s flow. Rescue and relief operations are going on consistently. At night as well, search operations are being conducted in the presence of flood lights.
Meanwhile, the officials allegedly responsible for the bridge collapse, including 1 Executive Engineer, 2 Deputy Engineers, and 1 Assistant Engineer, all of the Roads and Buildings Department, have been suspended with immediate effect.
In response to the disaster, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced financial assistance for the victims. He further stated that the families of those who died would receive an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), while those injured would be given ₹50,000.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also addressed the tragedy, expressing sorrow and initiating a formal investigation. The state government has announced ₹4 lakh in compensation for the kin of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured. CM Patel also emphasized the need for swift medical care for the survivors.
The collapse of the Gambhira bridge has sparked questions about the condition of aging infrastructure in Gujarat, especially bridges that serve as key connectors between major regions. As the search continues for those still missing, the focus has now shifted to accountability, structural safety, and the measures needed to prevent future tragedies of this scale.