A part of the Gambhira bridge collapsed on Wednesday morning in Vadodara district of Gujarat, causing several vehicles to fall into the Mahisagar river. In this accident, 9 people died and 6 people were injured. This bridge connects Anand and Vadodara. After the accident, the opposition accused the BJP government of corruption and negligence.
The Gambhra bridge is 900 meters long and was built in 1985. Two trucks, a SUV, a pickup van and an auto-rickshaw fell into the river in the accident at 7:30 am. Vadodara Collector Anil Dhamelia confirmed 9 deaths. Vadodara fire department, NDRF, and locals attended the rescue work.
Congress leader Supriya Srnet described it as proof of corruption in ‘Gujarat Model’. Amit Chavda of Gujarat Congress said that the government ignored the warnings of the poor condition of the bridge. Local people also accused the administration of negligence in maintenance. Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT) appealed to the public to protest against poor construction. The Trinamool Congress criticized the government, referring to the 2022 Morbi accident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the accident and announced a assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel ordered an inquiry and sent a team of technical experts to the spot. He asked to make immediate arrangements for the treatment of the injured.
The accident disrupted traffic between Anand and Vadodara. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi said that 6 people were rescued. The accident questions the quality and maintenance of infrastructure in Gujarat, especially when 135 people died in Morbi in 2022.
