9 Dead, 6 Injured in Gujarat’s Gambhira Bridge Collapse

Vadodara: At least nine people were killed and six others injured when a portion of the Gambhira bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning in the Padra area of Gujarat’s Vadodara district. The tragedy occurred around 7 a.m. when one of the 23 spans of the bridge over the Mahisagar River gave way, plunging several people and vehicles into the water.

Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya confirmed the recovery of nine bodies and said all six injured have been shifted for medical treatment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the incident and announced ₹2 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF). In a post on X, the PMO stated, “The loss of lives due to the collapse of a bridge in Vadodara district is deeply saddening... May the injured recover soon.”

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also conveyed condolences and ordered a high-level technical investigation. He has directed the Roads and Buildings Department to deploy senior engineers, including private experts, to probe the cause of the collapse and submit a report urgently.

CM Patel confirmed that rescue operations are ongoing, led by teams from the fire brigade, Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with boats and divers deployed at the site.

Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said that the CM had dispatched a high-level committee to the accident site and emphasized strict action based on the investigation findings. Rescue teams continue to search the river for any possible missing victims. Officials have not ruled out the possibility of more casualties, and drone surveillance has been deployed to aid in the search. A forensic team has also arrived to assist in determining structural faults that may have led to the collapse.