On the morning of Wednesday, 9 July 2025, a section of the Gambhira Bridge near Mujpur in Padra taluka, Vadodara district, Gujarat, gave way, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people, who are feared to have perished.
According to Gujarat’s Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, between five and six vehicles, including two lorries and two vans, fell into the Mahisagar River after a slab of the bridge, which links central Gujarat with the Saurashtra region, collapsed. Five individuals have been rescued thus far.
The minister noted that the bridge, built in 1985, had undergone periodic maintenance as needed. ‘The precise cause of the collapse will be thoroughly investigated,’ he stated.
Rescue teams successfully extracted five people alive from the river, while efforts to find others continue. Personnel from the Vadodara Fire Department, supported by local residents, are actively involved in the operation. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, equipped with specialist rescue equipment, has also been deployed to the site, an official confirmed.
Footage from the scene revealed that an entire slab between two piers of the 900 metre long Gambhira Bridge, which has 23 piers and connects Vadodara and Anand districts, had collapsed. The bridge was opened to the public in 1985.
Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel, has instructed technical experts to investigate the cause of the collapse. ‘The collapse of one span of the 23-span Gambhira Bridge, connecting Anand and Vadodara, is a tragic incident. I pray for the souls of those who lost their lives,’ he said. He added, “I have spoken with the Vadodara Collector and directed that immediate medical care for the injured be prioritised.”
He further detailed that fire brigade teams from the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation, equipped with boats and divers, are working alongside the NDRF in rescue and relief efforts. ‘I have instructed the Roads and Buildings Department to launch an immediate inquiry into the incident,’ Mr Patel said. A team comprising the Chief Engineer–Design, the Chief Engineer–South Gujarat, and two private bridge construction experts has been tasked with conducting a preliminary investigation into the collapse and submitting a detailed report on its causes and technical aspects.
