At least 21 people died after a section of the Gambhira Bridge over the Mahisagar River collapsed on July 9, 2025, sending multiple vehicles plunging into the water below in Gujarat’s Vadodara district. The incident occurred around 7:30 am when a 10 to 15-meter-long slab of the 40-year-old bridge suddenly gave way near Padra town.
The bridge collapse sent six vehicles into the Mahisagar River, including two trucks, two vans, an autorickshaw, and a motorcycle. Rescue operations continued for three days, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and local agencies working to recover victims and survivors.
Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya reported that rescue operations faced significant challenges due to muddy terrain, the presence of soda ash in the water causing irritation to rescuers, and a tanker containing sulfuric acid that fell into the river. The Indian Army provided a high-performance truck to help extract vehicles stuck in the muddy waters, while rescue teams prepared a temporary platform using three truckloads of concrete mix.
Among the identified victims were family members Ramesh Padhiyar, Vedika Padhiyar, and Naitaik Padhiyar from Dariyapura village, along with Hasmukh Parmar from Majatan, Vakhatsinh Jadav from Kahanva village, and Pravin Jadav from Undel village. One survivor, Sonal Padhiyar, lost her husband, daughter, and two-year-old grandson when their Eeco van fell into the river. She survived because she was seated in the rear of the vehicle, which fell head-first into the water.
Fisherman Narendra Mali witnessed the collapse while working on the river and immediately turned his boat toward the fallen vehicles to assist with rescue efforts. He observed that most passengers in the vehicles could not be saved, as vehicles fell one after another when the bridge span collapsed.
The Gambhira Bridge, constructed in 1985, connected Mujpur to Gambhira in Anand district and served as a key route between central Gujarat and the Saurashtra region. The 900-meter-long structure featured 23 piers and was designed with a 100-year lifespan. Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel indicated that maintenance was carried out periodically as required, though the exact cause of the collapse would be investigated.
Local residents had previously complained that the bridge shook when vehicles crossed it, raising concerns about its structural integrity. A recorded phone conversation from August 22, 2022, between activist Lakhan Darbar and a Roads and Buildings department officer revealed that officials were aware of the bridge’s poor condition. The officer acknowledged that the bridge was structurally unsound and would not last long, yet no preventive action was taken.
Following the tragedy, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel suspended four engineers from the state’s Roads and Buildings Department on July 10, 2025. He directed technical experts to investigate the collapse and submit a preliminary report on the causes and technical aspects of the incident. The state government announced compensation of four lakh rupees for families of deceased victims and 50,000 rupees for injured survivors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a foreign visit at the time, personally contacted the Chief Minister to inquire about the incident. Modi described the loss of lives as “deeply saddening” and announced ex gratia payments of two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for each deceased victim’s family and 50,000 rupees for injured individuals.
The Padra police registered an accidental death complaint in connection with the collapse, with a formal investigation to begin after rescue operations concluded. The incident marked the latest in a series of bridge collapses across Gujarat, with at least six major incidents occurring since 2021, including the deadly Morbi suspension bridge collapse in October 2022 that killed 135 people.
Opposition Congress leaders criticized the state government’s handling of infrastructure safety, alleging corruption and negligence in the maintenance of aging bridges. Senior Congress MLA Amit Chavda stated that the opposition had repeatedly raised concerns about the bridge’s condition with the state government, but no concrete steps were taken to address the issues.
The collapse disrupted the vital transportation link between Anand and Vadodara districts, forcing authorities to divert traffic to alternate routes. The bridge had undergone repairs in 2024, with potholes filled and maintenance work completed, according to Executive Engineer NM Nayakawala, who maintained that inspection reports had not indicated major structural damage prior to the collapse.
