Two siblings among 11 killed as vehicles fall into river after part of bridge collapses in Vadodara
VADODARA, July 9: Hours after the portion of a bridge collapsed in Gujarat’s Vadodara killing 10 persons, opposition parties on Wednesday 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.
Ten persons, including two siblings, were killed and nine others rescued, some of them with injuries, after several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river when a portion of a four-decade-old Gambhira bridge collapsed in Vadodara district around 7.30 am on Wednesday, officials said.
Speaking about the tragedy, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Amit Chavda said, “Local people, 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.
As incidents of bridge collapse are rising in the state, the government should conduct an audit of all old bridges. The report should be made public so that people know whether they should travel on that bridge or not, he said.
AAP’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 CM Shankarsinh Vaghela said this is a clear case of criminal negligence.
Social workers had flagged the bad condition of the bridge in 2022. They had sought rebuilding of this bridge. However, the government did not do anything. This is a case of criminal negligence, he said.
“There should be a court-monitored probe and those responsible for this tragedy should be punished for this,” Vaghela, who heads the Praja Shakti Democratic Party, said.
Meanwhile, A slab of the Gambhira bridge, which connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region of the state, collapsed, killing eleven persons, Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural) Rohan Anand said.
Visuals from the site showed the entire chunk of the slab of the bridge between two piers has collapsed. The slab collapse caused the vehicles, which were passing through the bridge, to plunge into the river. The bridge is located near Padra town in the district.
Five out of the nine rescued persons suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment at the SSG Hospital in Vadodara, he said, adding that none of the injured persons are in a critical condition.
The SP said that a 10 to 15 metres long slab of the bridge came crashing down at around 7.30 am.
Five vehicles – two trucks, two vans and an autorickshaw – fell into the river after the portion of the bridge collapsed, Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya said.
Two other vehicles that came dangerously close to falling into the river below were dragged away to a safer location, the collector said.
Three persons on a two-wheeler, who fell into the river, managed to swim to safety, he added.
According to the police, two out of the 11 persons who lost their lives were siblings — a two-year-old boy and his four-year-old sister. Most of the deceased were residents of Vadodara and Anand districts, and all except a child were male.
Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed at the accident site as 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 due to the bridge collapse.
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 heartrending scene shows Sonalben sitting on the submerged wreckage of a vehicle, with her body partially under water. Profusely crying, she seeks help from those gathered near the accident site.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the tragedy and announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, respectively, to the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 as compensation to the injured.
The loss of lives due to the collapse of a bridge in Vadodara district, Gujarat, is deeply saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM,” the PMO said on X.
CM Patel called the tragedy “extremely distressing”, and said the state government will provide assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each person who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 to each of those injured.He also said that an order has been given to the state roads and buildings department to conduct a probe into the collapse and submit a report. (PTI)