On Wednesday, at least nine people were killed and six people injured after the collapsing Gambhira bridge in Gujarat’s Anand district plunged vehicles into the Mahisagar River. The accident happened in the morning hours and disrupted the essential road link between Anand and Vadodara, greatly impacting thousands of people in terms of commuting, and other vehicles are now stranded on this vital road.
Also confirming the people who have been killed, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi posted, nine bodies have been recovered and six people have been rescued. The Chief Minister is very serious about the incident and has sent a high-level committee to the spot. He has further directed the Roads and Buildings Department and other concerned teams to probe deeply into the matter and take necessary immediate corrective measures.
Immediately, rescue was initiated by the local authorities, who came to the rescue using swimmers and boats, among others. According to Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya, search and rescue operations were carried out by teams of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), Emergency Response Centre, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and other administrative bodies in what turned into an enormous operation. “Local rescue teams also reacted quickly and started to work in the morning. Up to now, we have retrieved nine bodies. Previously, five persons were retrieved after injuries, and a sixth has been discovered and is under care together with others,” he said.
It was Gujarat Minister Rushikesh Patel who informed that the Gambhira bridge had been built in 1985, but maintenance work on it had been done occasionally. But he pointed out that it is not clear what really caused the collapse and will be studied.
The disaster has elicited grave misgivings on the structural strength of aged infrastructures and the necessity of a thorough audit on safety measures. The government has vowed to investigate the incident to find the causes of the failure and hold people to account.
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