Gujarat Bridge Collapse: Fatalities Rise To 12, Six Deceased Yet To Be Identified

While 12 persons have been confirmed dead in the incident, the identities of six deceased are yet to be ascertained. Till last reports, rescue operations were still underway at the site.

Read More: Gujarat Bridge Collapse: Death Toll Rises To 12, Saurashtra-South Gujarat Regions Lose Key Connectivity

Perched atop a submerged vehicle, 35-year-old Sonalben Padhiyar kept pleading to onlookers to save her two children and husband after the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into the Mahisagar river in Gujarat Wednesday morning. By the time rescuers reached the spot, it was too late. Her husband and kids had already drowned, and the responders could only recover their bodies. A viral video capturing the heart-wrenching scene shows Sonalben sitting on the submerged wreckage of a vehicle, with her body partially under water. Profusely crying, she was begging for help from those who had gathered near the accident site.

The death toll in the Gujarat bridge collapse incident has risen to 12 as rescue operations are continuing at the spot. Meanwhile, the opposition parties said negligence on the part of the state government was resulting in such incidents, and sought Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's resignation. They said although some leaders of opposition parties had earlier drawn the attention of the administration to the condition of the bridge, it did not pay heed and failed to act.

Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Amit Chavda claimed that locals, including Congress leaders, had represented many times to the administration that the condition of the bridge was very bad.

"We had said that its life was over as it was 40 years old. The government had, however, not paid any attention to the representations. The bridge has collapsed due to the criminal negligence of the state government. We demand inquiry and punishment for those responsible for such grave negligence," he said.

Aam Aadmi Party's Gujarat unit president Isudan Gadhvi demanded resignation of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. "Many people have died in Gujarat due to corruption of the BJP government. This is not an accident, this is a man-made disaster. People have lost their lives due to the state government's negligence," he said.

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela said this is a clear case of criminal negligence.

15.06.2025: In Pune’s temple town of Kundmala, an iron bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed, killing four people and injuring over 50 others.

23.08.2023: An under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram's Sairang district collapsed suddenly, claiming the lives of 26 workers.

14.03.2019:CSMT Foot Overbridge (Mumbai) – Collapsed on March 14, 2019, resulting in six deaths and 30 injuries.

04.09.2018: Three people were killed in Kolkata's Majerhat bridge collapse West Bengal.

15.03.2018: Varanasi Flyover Segment collapsed on May 15, 2018, killing 18 people.

04.09.2018: Majerhat Bridge (Kolkata) collapsed on September 4, 2018, causing three fatalities and 24 injuries.

31.03.2016: Vivekananda Road Flyover (Kolkata) partially collapsed in 2016, killing 27 and injuring 80.

27.11.2013: At least 14 persons were injured when a road over bridge (ROB) collapsed and fell on a goods train passing under it in Maripur area of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district, about 75 km from Patna.

22.10.2011:Darjeeling Wooden Footbridge – Collapsed under crowd pressure on October 22, 2011, killing 32 and injuring over 60.

29.10.2011: Kameng River Footbridge (Arunachal Pradesh) – Collapsed on October 29, 2011, killing at least 30.

12.07.2009 : 6 killed, 13 injured in Metro bridge collapse in Delhi.

02.12.2006: At least 37 passengers, including 15 women and two children, were killed and 50 injured when a condemned road overbridge collapsed on the Howrah-Jamalpur Express passing near the Bhagalpur station in Bihar.

06.11.2024: Anand: Three workers died as a temporary structure collapsed at a construction site on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor in Gujarat's Anand district

23.10.2023: A portion of an under-construction railway overbridge (ROB) collapsed in Palanpur, Gujarat, resulting in the deaths of two people. The collapse involved six concrete girders that had recently been installed on the bridge's pillars. The incident occurred on National Highway 58, near the RTO Circle, around 3 PM.

30.10.2022: A major bridge collapse in Gujarat occurred, when the Morbi suspension bridge on the Machchhu River collapsed, resulting in the tragic loss of 135 lives.

2022: Due to heavy rain in monsson 2022-23 in Rapar, Dist. Kachchh region, scouring in pier foundation of this 2-span minor bridge, pier settled down and bridge collapsed.

10.06.2014: Three labourers were killed and six others injured when a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed in Parle point area of surat. Gujarat.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra took a sharp dig at BJP-riled state governments, criticising their focus on issues like eatery names on Kanwariya routes while ignoring collapsing infrastructure. In a post on X, she said, "Bridges in Gujarat & roads collapse, trains collide, derail. No action. But BJP state governments obsessed with eatery names on Kanwariya routes and locking up legitimate Bengali workers."

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule also expressed grief over the incident. In a post on X, Sule, who is the daughter of former Union Minister Sharad Pawar said, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the bridge collapse incident in Vadodara District, Gujarat. Heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. Wishing a speedy recovery to all those who are injured."

The death toll in the Gambhira Bridge collapse in Vadodara district rose to 10 on Wednesday evening as another body was recovered from the Mahisagar River.

President Droupadi Murmu expressed grief over the bridge collapse in Gujarat. In a post on X, Murmu said, "The news of the death of several people in a bridge accident in Gujarat's Vadodara district is extremely tragic. I express my deep condolences to the bereaved families. My prayers are that all those injured in this accident recover quickly."

The Gambhira Bridge connected Gambhira village in Anand district and Mujpur in Padra taluka of Vadodara district. The bridge offered main connectivity between south Gujarat and Saurashtra regions of the western state. It witnessesed round the clock traffic, especially the goods transport vehicles from Mumbai, Hazira, Dahej, Ankleshwar, Bharuch and Vadodara going to Saurashtra, Kutch, and other parts of country.

Gambhira Bridge played a major role in the thriving industries and industrial progress in various SEZs in Padra, Jambusar, Amod, Vagra and Bharuch districts. The collapse is likely to increase the daily traffic woes of thousands of cars, trucks and vehicles. The traffic load on the old Ahmedabad-Vadodara highway along with the expressway connecting Mumbai and South Gujarat will substantially increase. The collapse of the Gambhira Bridge will increase the distance between Saurashtra and South Gujarat by 150 km. The authorities have alredy instructed vehicles to take the Vasad route from Vadodara.

Officials have confirmed that nine people lost their lives in the tragic Gambhira bridge collapse in Vadodara district on Wednesday morning. Superintendt of Police (Anand), Gaurav Jasani, said that several vehicles are still submerged, and relief and rescue efforts are underway.

Mitesh Patel, Member of Parliament from Anand, also reached the site. He said, "I received a call at 8.22 am about the collapse and immediately coordinated with the District Collectors and SP. A medical team is present, and rescue operations are in full swing."

The Gambhira Bridge, located on the Padra-Mujpur Road in Vadodar district in Gujarat, collapsed at around 7.30 am on Wednesday. The bridge spans the Mahisagar River and is situated approximately 25 km from Vadodara city. A 832-meter stretch of the 1986 bridge collapsed, sending several vehicles plunging into the river. Rescue and relief operations began immediately after the incident, involving local authorities, fire teams, and the NDRF.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep sorrow over the tragic bridge collapse, which claimed at least nine lives and left several others injured. PM Modi approves an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF for the next kin of each deceased. Additionally, Rs 50,000 will be provided to each injured person. PMO shared the announcement via X, stating, "Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon."

The Gujarat government has announced to provide Rs 4 lakh compensation to the families of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 to the injured. Additionally, all medical expenses for the injured will be covered by the government, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel said in a post on X.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has condoled the loss of lives in the Gambhira bridge collapse. He said, "The tragedy caused by the collapse of one of the 23 spans of the Gambhira bridge connecting Anand and Vadodara is sad. I pray for those killed in this accident. I have spoken to the Vadodara Collector and have been instructed to arrange for immediate treatment of the injured and make arrangements on priority basis. The fire brigade team of the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation is engaged in rescue and relief operations at the accident site with boats and swimmers, while the NDRF team has also reached the spot and joined the rescue operation. The Road Construction Department has been ordered to conduct an immediate investigation into this accident."