8 killed as vehicles plunge into river after Vadodara bridge collapse

Vadodara: Eight persons were killed and five others rescued after several vehicles fell into a river following the collapse of a portion of a four-decade-old bridge in Gujarat’s Vadodara district Wednesday morning, police said.

Five vehicles fell into the Mahisagar River after a slab of the Gambhira bridge, located on the river which connects central Gujarat and Saurashtra regions of the state, collapsed, Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural), Rohan Anand told PTI.

Eight persons died in the incident, Anand said.

As many as five persons were rescued and were undergoing treatment, Padra police inspector Vijay Charan said.

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.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed technical experts to reach the site and conduct a probe into the reason for the collapse, he said.

Visuals showed the entire slab of the bridge between two piers having collapsed.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 am and the vehicles that fell into the river included two trucks and two vans, inspector Charan earlier said.

Teams from Vadodara fire department and locals joined the rescue operation which was still on, an official said.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also reached the site, the official said.

The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and connects Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat. It was inaugurated in 1985.

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