Nine people, including a child, were killed on Wednesday after a portion of the Gambhira bridge in Gujarat collapsed. Videos of the incident have since gone viral and showed trucks and smaller vehicles lying facedown in the water. One tragic clip also featured a woman standing in waist-deep water as she shouted for people to help her son who remained trapped within one of the vehicles. The four-decade-old pathway over the Mahisagar river had connected central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region of the state.
“Maro doobi gayo (my son has drowned),” the woman can be heard shouting frantically as she stands in the muddy water.
The tragic incident took place on Wednesday morning — plunging five vehicles (two trucks, two vans and an autorickshaw) into the Mahisagar river. Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya told PTI that two other vehicles had come dangerously closing to falling before they were dragged away to a safer location. Three others had managed to swim to safety after their two-wheeler fell into the river.
“Around nine people have died. Further processing is underway at a hospital. Around nine people have been rescued, five of them have been referred to the SSG Hospital. None of the people who have been rescued are critical,” confirmed Vadodara Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi later announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased as well as Rs 50,000 for the injured. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has also condoled the incident and ordered an immediate investigation into the incident.