11 Killed in Gujarat Bridge Collapse
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the victims and their families and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
Additionally, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 each to those injured.
Wishing for the speedy recovery of the injured, Modi mourned the loss of lives and said, "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."
In a video from the site, a truck can be seen hanging precariously, delicately positioned in the middle of the broken bridge. The visual also showed the entire slab of the bridge between two piers having collapsed. After eight hours, the tanker was still stuck on the broken portion of the bridge.
The driver inside the tanker managed to escape safely. However, the driver has been missing from the scene since the incident.
Additionally, efforts are underway to retrieve a truck that fell into the Mahisagar river after the bridge collapse.
A crane and three JCB machines are being used, but the truck remains unmoved.
Considering the volume of traffic on the bridge, the Chief Minister had approved a new bridge worth Rs 212 crore three months back. Design and tendering work for the new bridge had already begun. Following the incident, the Chief Minister immediately dispatched the Chief Engineer, bridge design team, and experts to the site and ordered a detailed report. 'The Road Construction Department has been instructed to conduct an immediate investigation into the incident. For this, a team comprising the Chief Engineer – Design, Chief Engineer – South Gujarat, and two private engineers with expertise in bridge construction has been directed to reach the site immediately, carry out a preliminary investigation into the cause of the collapse and other technical matters, and submit a report,' Chief Minister Patel wrote on X. Construction of the Gambhira Bridge began in 1981, and it was opened for public use in 1985. In 2017, the Congress party had demanded that the bridge be closed to heavy vehicles due to its deteriorating condition.
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