At least 16 dead after bridge in India collapses, local leaders had called bridge unsafe since 2021

At least 15 people were killed after the 43-year-old Gambhira Bridge in Vadodara, India, collapsed on Jul. 9.

What is the Gambhira Bridge?

According to India Today, the bridge connects the Vadodara district to the Anand district.

It spans almost 900 metres in length.

Death toll stands at 16

According to Hindustan Times, a 10 to 15-metre long slab of the bridge had collapsed at around 7:30am on Jul. 9, causing multiple vehicles to fall into the Mahisagar river below.

The vehicles that fell into the river included two vans, two trucks, a two-wheeler and an autorickshaw.

The three passengers who were on the two-wheeler had managed to swim to safety.

India Today reported that a truck also hung precariously at the edge of the broken bridge and was stuck there for eight hours.

However, the driver of the truck had managed to escape.

A crane and three JCB machines are currently being used to retrieve one of the trucks that fell into the river.

At least 16 people have died.

Hindustan Times reported that the fire department and National Disaster Response Force personnel were on-site and commenced rescue operations.

A local fire brigade team and the Vadodara Municipal Corporation were also deployed to help in the search and rescue operations.

Local residents also provided assistance.

Compensation given

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that a compensation of 200,000 Indian rupees (around S$2,987) will be given to the victims and their families, and 50,000 Indian rupees (around S$747) will be given to those who were injured.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also announced that compensation of 400,000 Indian rupees (around S$5,974) will be given to the next-of-kin of each deceased.

In a post on X, PM Modi expressed his condolences to those who lost their loved ones and mourned the lives that were lost.

He also wished for the quick recovery of those who were injured.

Considering the high volume of traffic on the Gambhira bridge, Chief Minister Patel had previously approved the construction of a new bridge which cost 2,120 million rupees (about S$2.7 billion) three months ago. The new bridge had already entered the design and tendering stage.

Warnings were previously given about the bridge

Times of India (TOI) reported that several local leaders had previously wrote in to authorities to inform them of the unsafe conditions of the bridge,

Harshadsinh Parmar, a member of the Vadodara district village council, had wrote in to the roads and buildings (R&B) department in 2022 and told them that the bridge posed a threat to public safety.

He urged authorities to close the bridge to prevent accidents from occurring and to build a new bridge.

After Parmar’s letters, an official letter was also sent to the executive engineer of the R&B department by the Vadodara district collectorate, urging authorities to take action.

“As there were vibrations in the pillars of the bridge, I repeatedly demanded that the report on the condition of the bridge be made public. All we were told was that the matter was under consideration. The authorities knew well that the bridge would collapse, but unfortunately, no action was taken.”

After the Gambhira bridge collapsed, the executive engineer of the R&B department, N M Naykawala, announced that apart from an issue with the bridge’s bearings, which was previously addressed, the department had not found any major fault with the bridge.

However, TOI reported that Lakhan Darbar, a Right to Information (RTI) activist and local leader, said that in 2022, one of the executive engineers of the R&B department said that the bridge was not safe for use but the report was never revealed to the public.

“For three years, they allowed the bridge to function knowing very well that it was unsafe.”

A R&B engineer however said after the collapse that a departmental report found no major faults in the structure. He said there was an issue with the bearings, but it had apparently been addressed "last year".

According to TOI, state government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel said that "a team of experts from the R&B department and private experts visited the site" and that the government will receive a report in due time.

"Once the report is available, the government will be able to fix responsibility for the tragedy."

Top photo via Sophia Gurung/Facebook