Fury Erupts After Gambhira Bridge Collapse Kills 11 in Gujarat

Bridge Was Declared Unsafe Two Years Ago, But Nothing Was Done

The collapse of the Gambhira Bridge in Gujarat’s Vadodara district has sparked public outrage after a damning phone recording revealed that authorities were warned about the bridge’s dangerous state nearly two years ago—and still did nothing. Eleven people died, and several others were injured, as vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River.

It was a little after midnight on Tuesday when the bridge, nearly 40 years old, suddenly gave way. Trucks, cars, and a jeep disappeared into the river’s swirling currents within seconds. Survivors described the moment as surreal, with metal groaning and headlights vanishing into the dark water. What followed was a rescue effort filled with desperation, grief, and rising anger.

Vehicles Sank Before Anyone Could React

Eyewitnesses say the section that collapsed came down without warning. The road slab snapped near Mujpur village, pulling at least five vehicles down with it—two heavy trucks, a Bolero jeep, and others yet to be identified.

The river didn’t wait.

One rescue official at the site said the vehicles sank “within moments,” leaving barely enough time for anyone to escape. Local fishermen and bystanders were first to respond, diving in with ropes and rafts before emergency teams arrived.

“People screamed from the vehicles. Then it was just silence,” said Prakash Solanki, a local resident who was among the first on the scene.

Search operations continued through Wednesday evening, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) recovering more bodies by the hour.

Old Bridge, New Warnings, Zero Action

The real shock isn’t just the accident—it’s the paper trail leading up to it.

An audio clip dated August 2022 is now circulating online. In it, activist Lakhan Darbar speaks with a Roads & Buildings department officer who plainly admits the Gambhira Bridge was unsafe. The officer acknowledges that the bridge “won’t survive the year” and admits that inspections had been conducted and proposals sent.

Nothing came of it.

Not a single repair. Not even a barricade or warning sign.

A local panchayat member, who didn’t want to be named, shared copies of formal letters—multiple, spanning from 2021 to 2024—urging district officials to shut down or repair the bridge. Again, no response. No action. Just silence.

And now, 11 lives lost.

Locals Say It Was a Disaster Waiting to Happen

For folks living in and around Mujpur and Padra, the Gambhira Bridge has long been a part of daily life. It connects the central parts of Gujarat to the Saurashtra region, handling a heavy load of passenger and freight traffic.

But the cracks were visible—literally.

• Locals reported visible fissures and shaky railings on the bridge for years
• Heavy trucks used the bridge daily despite warnings
• No weight restrictions were enforced, even after repeated complaints
• Drainage from monsoon rains had severely corroded the base of the structure

“It creaked when a truck passed,” said Bhikhabhai Patel, a driver who used the bridge regularly. “We stopped trusting it months ago, but there was no alternative route.”

The bridge’s condition had been a running joke—until Tuesday, when it turned into a national tragedy.

A Closer Look at the Victims and Survivors

Among the 11 people who died were:

• Two truck drivers from Rajasthan transporting gravel

• A family of four in the Bolero jeep heading to a wedding

• Three laborers riding atop one of the trucks

• A local driver and his assistant who had made the route dozens of times before

Five survivors are recovering at SSG Hospital in Vadodara, two of them in critical condition. One man, Anil Chauhan, managed to swim to the surface after smashing his truck window. “It felt like the bridge vanished under me,” he recalled.

Political Blame Game Has Already Begun

The Gujarat government has ordered a high-level probe, but critics aren’t impressed.

State opposition leaders are demanding criminal charges against officials who ignored repair requests. BJP and Congress leaders are trading barbs on social media. But families want answers, not press statements.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the site on Wednesday and promised “accountability.” A compensation of ₹4 lakh for each deceased has been announced, but many feel that’s just a formality.

Meanwhile, the Roads & Buildings department has gone silent.

One senior engineer has been suspended pending investigation. Others might follow.

Gujarat’s Bridge Maintenance in Question

This isn’t the first deadly bridge collapse in Gujarat in recent memory. After the Morbi suspension bridge disaster in October 2022, where 135 people died, the state government had announced a full review of old bridges.

But clearly, that review either skipped Gambhira or simply got buried under paperwork.

Here’s a quick comparison of major bridge accidents in Gujarat over the last three years:

One sentence. It keeps happening.

What Happens Next?

As the search for missing victims winds down, the focus now shifts to accountability.

But there are deeper questions lingering. How many more old bridges in Gujarat are in similar shape? Who decides which structure gets urgent funding and which doesn’t? And why is it always after lives are lost that authorities wake up?

For residents in the area, the Gambhira Bridge was more than just concrete and rebar—it was their only way in and out of town.

Now it’s gone. And for 11 families, so are their loved ones.