Eleven persons, including two siblings, were killed and nine others rescued as several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a portion of a four-decade-old bridge collapsed in Gujarat's Vadodara district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
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.
11 people, including two siblings aged 2 and 4, were killed when a portion of the Gambhira bridge collapsed
The bridge, built in 1985, connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region
A 10-15 metre slab of the bridge collapsed
5 vehicles — two trucks, two vans, and an autorickshaw — plunged into the Mahisagar river
9 people were rescued; five sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment
2 vehicles narrowly avoided falling and were pulled to safety
Out of five persons undergoing treatment, one is a woman. One of the injured is from Udaipur district of Rajasthan, police said.
The fire brigade team of the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation are working with boats and swimmers at the accident site as part of the rescue and relief operations. The NDRF team has also reached the scene and joined the rescue operation, the CM 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.
The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and connects Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat. It was inaugurated in 1985.
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. 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. The opposition hit out at the BJP government over the incident, blaming it for negligence, and sought CM Patel's resignation.