Latest news with #Mahisagar
Times of Oman
11-07-2025
- Times of Oman
Gujarat: Death toll in Gambhira bridge collapse rises to 18, two still missing
Padra (Gujarat): The death toll in the Gambhira bridge collapse incident in Gujarat's Vadodara has risen to 18 with the recovery of more bodies, an official said on Friday. Speaking to reporters, Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya said that the rescue and recovery operation is still going on to find the two missing people and remove the debris from the incident spot. A section of the Gambhira bridge connecting Vadodara and Anand collapsed on July 9 and fell into the Mahisagar river below. The official noted that the five victims of the incident are undergoing treatment in the hospital and are in stable condition. Dhameliya said, "...Rescue and recovery operation is going on. Day before yesterday, we recovered 12 bodies, and yesterday, we recovered 6 dead bodies. 5 live victims are undergoing treatment and are stable. The remaining dead bodies are trapped under a slab and efforts are underway to recover them. The driver of the truck which is trapped is also missing, we are trying to find his body. In the middle of the river, there is a 3-4 metre layer of quicksand..." "Soda ash is being released into the water, which is causing irritation and itching to the rescue team... Our team is working after neutralising it. A tanker of sulphuric acid is trapped inside, so we are making sure it does not get released. The basic objective of today's operation is to retrieve the dead bodies and remove the debris... The death toll stands at 18, and 2 people are still missing..." he stated. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered a high-level inquiry into the recent bridge collapse on the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge connecting Vadodara and Anand. The Chief Minister has entrusted a team of experts to conduct a detailed investigation and prepare a report on the repairs, inspections, and quality checks carried out on the bridge. According to the Department of Information, based on the preliminary investigation, four officers have been suspended with immediate effect. NM Naikwala (Executive Engineer), UC Patel (Deputy Executive Engineer), RT Patel (Deputy Executive Engineer) and JV Shah (Assistant Engineer) have been suspended with immediate effect. The Chief Minister has also directed that thorough inspections be carried out on other bridges in the state to ensure public safety.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Gujarat: Survivors recall moment of bridge collapse
Survivors of a bridge collapse in India's Gujarat state on Wednesday that killed at least 15 people have said that they initially thought it was an explosion or cause of the collapse is still to be ascertained, and investigations are under way according to state government who was driving a van which had two other passengers, was on the bridge on Wednesday morning when he heard a deafening crack - a section of the bridge behind him had collapsed into the Mahisagar river, taking some vehicles along with it."There was a huge explosion-like sound and part of the bridge collapsed behind us. Our van also started rolling backwards so we quickly jumped out," he told BBC 40-year-old bridge connected Vadodara district with central Gujarat and usually saw a lot of visuals after the collapse showed a truck teetering dangerously from the edge of the broken bridge - it was later moved to safety. But other vehicles, including lorries, cars and a tuktuk, plunged into the least four people are still missing and search operations are under way."Our priority is to check the area quickly and retrieve both bodies and any survivors," Surender Singh, an official with the National Disaster Response Force, told news agency ANI. Sonalben Padhiyar was the only survivor among her family members after the car she was travelling in fell into the the terrifying moments, Ms Padhiyar told the Indian Express newspaper that she was sitting in the back when the car fell into the river headfirst.A video of her, visibly distressed and shouting for someone to save her son, has since gone viral. She later told ANI that she screamed for a long time before help arrived. She lost six family Padhiyar, another survivor (not related to Ms Padhiyar), was returning home from a night shift on his two-wheeler when the accident took place. "Traffic was moving as usual," he told the Indian said he had barely crossed 100m on the bridge when he felt a vibration before the structure gave way."I found myself falling into the river," he Padhiyar suffered injuries but managed to hold on to a metal rod and stay afloat until local fishermen arrived to said the collapse felt like an earthquake, shaking the ground and sending multiple vehicles crashing into the Singh, one of the locals who rushed to the scene, told BBC Gujarati he was alerted by a phone call from a friend."As soon as I heard, I rushed over," he said. "We began pulling out vehicles with ropes. People from the area came together to help." The collapse has set off a political row, with locals saying they had often complained about its poor who lives in the area, told BBC Gujarati that the bridge would often shake when heavy vehicles drove on Parmar, a local council chief from a village near the bridge, said it was in a "dilapidated" condition and "had potholes everywhere"."Rods could be seen sticking out of the structure. We complained many times, but no action was taken," he Patel, a spokesperson for the Gujarat government, denied this, saying that the bridge was inspected and repaired at regular intervals."Recently, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had approved dismantling the existing bridge and constructing a new one. We were set to issue a tender soon," he Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat, has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and announced collapse is among a series of deadly accidents linked to ageing and poorly maintained public infrastructure in India. In 2022, around 135 people were killed when a 137-year-old suspension bridge in Gujarat's Morbi town collapsed into a river. The bridge, a popular tourist attraction, had reopened for visitors just days earlier following BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
At least 10 dead as vehicles plunge into river after bridge collapse
At least 10 people have been killed in a partial bridge collapse in India that sent lorries, vans and a rickshaw plunging into the river below. The incident happened on Wednesday when a 10-15 metre section of a crossing near Mujpur village in the western state of Gujarat fell into the Mahisagar river. Authorities said the death toll was expected to rise and that three of the dead were from the same family. 'Right now, the death toll is 10, but we are expecting more as we are pulling out the vehicles from the river,' said Rohan Anand, the Vadodara police superintendent. 'Three people are feared drowned, and a rescue operation is on,' he said, adding that five people had been injured. An oil tanker truck was hanging on the edge of the collapsed segment on Wednesday as witnesses recounted pulling bodies from the river. 'I immediately ran toward the spot and saw that many vehicles had fallen into the river. We rescued some and took out the bodies as well,' said Jagmar Singh Padhia. The bridge 'had wide gaps on the joints and we expected it would collapse one day', he added. Footage of the incident showed a woman calling for the rescue of her son, who appeared to be trapped in a submerged van. Bodies of the dead have been taken to Padra Referral Hospital for autopsy. Nine of those killed are from Gujarat, while one is from the neighbouring state of Rajasthan. Police have registered a case of accidental death and begun an investigation. Raju Hathiya, a lorry driver, survived after his vehicle fell into the river and was later taken to hospital. 'I was driving slowly, and the bridge suddenly collapsed from below and we fell into the river,' he said. 'I don't know where my co-driver is. I pulled myself out and sat on the lorry until a rescue team came.' India's infrastructure has long been marred by safety issues that have led to several disasters. Builders often use poor-quality construction materials to cut costs. Wednesday's incident was the 17th bridge collapse in Gujarat in the past five years. In Oct 2022, a colonial-era suspension bridge collapsed in the town of Morbi, plunging hundreds of people into the river Machchhu and killing 135.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Cars plunge into river killing 9 people as section of 40-year-old bridge collapses in India
At least nine people were killed as cars plunged into a river after a bridge collapsed in India's western state of Gujarat. A portion of the Gambhira-Mujpur bridge in Vadodara city gave way during peak traffic hours on Wednesday morning, sending at least four vehicles into the Mahisagar river. An entire slab of the bridge between two piers collapsed following heavy monsoon rains over the past few days in the district. Locals alleged that the 40-year-old bridge, which connected Anand and Vadodara districts, was in a dilapidated condition, and their request for repairs went unheard. Two trucks, an SUV and a pickup van were crossing the bridge when it went tumbling into the river. Another truck can be seen hanging halfway from the other end of the collapsed portion of the bridge. "There were two motorcycles on the bridge at the time as well, but so far, we have no confirmation whether they also plunged into the river. We are yet to ascertain the identities of the people as we are focusing on the rescue work," Vadodara district collector Anil Dhameliya told the Indian Express. The official claimed that the bridge underwent repairs last year. Gujarat's health minister, Rushikesh Patel, said at least five people were rescued and rushed to the hospital. The state government has pressed national and state disaster rescue teams, along with fire brigade personnel, for the rescue operation on the river. State chief minister Bhupendra Patel said the "Road and Building Department has been ordered to conduct an immediate investigation into this accident". Local officials have closed the bridge and cordoned off the area to prevent further incidents. Prime minister Narendra Modi, who previously served as the state chief of Gujarat, said the accident was "deeply saddening" and offered condolences to those who died. His office has announced an ex-gratia of Rs200,000 (£1,700) for the families of each of the deceased. India's infrastructure has long been marred by safety concerns, sometimes leading to major disasters on its highways and bridges. In 2022, a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging into the water and killing at least 132 in one of the worst accidents in the country in the past decade. At least four people died in India's western city of Pune last month after a bridge on a river collapsed in a popular tourist destination. The 33-year-old iron bridge over the Indrayani river collapsed when about 125 tourists had gathered.
New Indian Express
18-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Ahmedabad plane crash: 190 DNA matches confirmed, 157 bodies handed over
AHMEDABAD: Six days after the devastating Ahmedabad plane crash, the sole survivor Vishwas Kumar has been discharged from the hospital in stable condition, confirmed Dr. Rakesh Joshi, Civil Hospital Superintendent. Kumar's family, who had flown in from the UK, was present at his side. The body of Kumar's brother, who was killed in the crash, was handed over to the family at 2 am on the same day, and a funeral was held for him in Diu. As of now, DNA samples of 190 deceased individuals have been successfully matched. In a detailed briefing, Dr. Joshi stated that 157 bodies have already been handed over to their respective families, with the identification and release process still underway for the remaining. He noted that five families are expected to collect the bodies of their loved ones soon, while the hospital remains in contact with 10 families. Meanwhile, 15 families are waiting for DNA matches of additional relatives, and the identification process is ongoing for three others. Dr. Joshi also revealed a detailed breakdown of the nationalities among the deceased whose bodies have been identified: 123 Indian nationals, 27 British citizens, 4 Portuguese nationals, 1 Canadian citizen, and 4 non-passengers. In terms of geographical distribution, he reported that the bodies handed over include: Ahmedabad (48), Vadodara (18), Kheda (10), Anand (11), Gandhinagar (6), Surat (6), Mehsana (5), Udaipur (6), Bharuch (5), Gir Somnath (5), Diu (12), Mahisagar (1), Bhavnagar (1), Patan (1), Botad (1), Aravalli (2), Jodhpur (1), Junagadh (1), Amreli (1), Rajkot (2), Nadiad (1), Dwarka (2), Sabarkantha (1), Mumbai (7), London (2), Patna (1), and Maharashtra (2).
