VADODARA: In a devastating incident on Wednesday morning, 13 people — including two children — lost their lives when a major portion of a nearly four-decade-old bridge collapsed near Mujpur village, about 27 km from Vadodara, sending six vehicles plummeting 50 to 60 feet into the Mahi river.
The tragedy revived painful memories of the 2022 Morbi bridge collapse, where 135 people died after a renovated suspension bridge failed due to substandard repair work and rushed execution.
The collapsed structure, built in 1986, served as a key link between central Gujarat and Saurashtra. Heavily used by trucks and commercial vehicles from industrial hubs in Padra and Ankleshwar, it was a popular alternative to avoid tolls on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway.
Around 7:30 am, a 15- to 20-metre section of the 830-metre-long bridge suddenly gave way, sending three trucks, a pick-up van, an auto-rickshaw, and a seven-seater vehicle crashing into the river. A large tanker narrowly escaped the plunge, halted precariously at the edge before being secured.
Residents of nearby Mujpur and Dabka villages rushed to the scene, initiating rescue efforts even before fire services and NDRF teams arrived. By evening, authorities had recovered 13 bodies. The deceased were residents of Vadodara, Anand, and Panchmahal districts. Five injured survivors are being treated at SSG Hospital in Vadodara.
“I was headed to Anand when the truck began shaking. Before I understood what was happening, the bridge gave way and I fell into the river,” recalled Ganpat Solanki, one of the survivors.
Concerns about the deteriorating condition of the Gambhira bridge had been raised as early as August 2022 by Vadodara district panchayat member Harshadsinh Parmar. Although inspections were conducted and funds were sanctioned, a ₹212 crore replacement project remains in the planning stage.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel offered condolences. The Gujarat government announced ₹4 lakh in compensation for each victim’s family, while the Centre pledged ₹2 lakh from the PM’s National Relief Fund. The injured will receive ₹50,000 each from both the state and central governments.
The incident has intensified calls for mandatory structural audits, improved bridge maintenance protocols, and stricter accountability for aging infrastructure. It comes less than a month after the June 15 collapse of a 30-year-old footbridge over the Indrayani river in Pune, which killed four and injured more than 50 — a disaster also attributed to neglect and safety oversight.
