Gujarat bridge collapse: Toll rises to 18, four engineers suspended

The death toll in the Mahisagar river bridge collapse in Gujarat's Vadodara district reached 18, officials said on Thursday, while adding that the search-and-rescue operation at the site has been halted for the night. It will resume on Friday morning as two persons are still missing, they informed.

 

Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a segment of the four-decade-old bridge, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed near Gambhira village, close to Padra town, on Wednesday morning. The incident had taken place at 7 am.

 

"The death toll in the bridge collapse incident has reached 18 with the recovery of one more dead body on Thursday night. Two persons are still missing. The rescue operation has been stopped due to high tide and will resume on Friday morning," said Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya.

 

The search-and-rescue operation was carried out through the day by at least 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and other agencies. Since some vehicles, including a loaded truck, are still stuck in the muddy waters of the river, the district administration used a 'high-performance truck' of the Indian Army to pull them out, said a government release.

 

To overcome the issue of mud, a temporary platform has been prepared on the river bank for the rescue teams by spreading three truckloads of concrete mix, said the release.

 

On Thursday, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel suspended four engineers of the state’s Roads and Buildings Department in connection with the bridge collapse. A government release identified the officials as Executive Engineer NM Nayakawala, Deputy Executive Engineers UC Patel and RT Patel, as well as Assistant Engineer JV Shah.

 

CM Patel, who handles the Roads and Buildings Department, had asked experts to prepare a report on the repairs, inspections, and quality checks conducted at the bridge. The decision to suspend the four engineers was taken on the basis of this report, the release said. Patel has ordered department officials to immediately conduct intensive inspections of other bridges in the state in view of the incident, it added.

 

Meanwhile, the authorities are on the back foot amid reports that a social activist had, in August 2022, flagged the poor condition of the ill-fated bridge. In a three-year-old audio clip that went viral on social media platforms after the collapse, social activist Lakhan Darbar, who runs the 'Yuva Sena' outfit, can be heard urging a senior R&B official to either repair the bridge or build a new one.

 

Darbar told the official that Vadodara district panchayat member Harshadsinh Parmar had also sent a letter to the department expressing concern about the condition of the bridge built four decades ago.

 

Notably, when local media confronted Nayakawala, Executive Engineer of R&B's Vadodara division, on Wednesday after the incident, he claimed no major fault was detected in the bridge during the department’s inspection.

 

"There was no demand to shut the bridge for vehicular movement. As per our reports, no major damage was detected during our inspection. There was an issue with the bearing coat, but it was already repaired last year," said Nayakawala, one of the four engineers suspended a day later by CM Patel.

 

At least six major incidents of bridge collapse have taken place in Gujarat since 2021:

 

In December 2021, a slab collapsed on the road during the construction of Mumatpura flyover on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident.

 

In October 2022, as many as 135 persons were killed when a British-era suspension bridge over the Machchhu river in Morbi town collapsed while over 200 tourists were on it.

 

In June 2023, a newly built bridge on the Mindhola river in Tapi district collapsed, though no one was hurt.

 

In September 2023, four persons were injured after a portion of an old bridge on the Bhogavo river in Surendranagar district collapsed when a 40-tonne dumper was navigating it near Wadhwan city.

 

In October 2023, two persons sitting in an autorickshaw died after six concrete girders or slabs, which were installed on the pillars of an under-construction bridge near the RTO Circle in Palanpur town of Banaskantha, suddenly collapsed.

 

In August 2024, a small bridge on the Bhogavo river connecting Habiyasar village with Chotila town in Surendranagar district collapsed due to a sudden rise in water following discharge from an overflowing dam. No casualties were reported in the incident.