Death Toll Reaches 13 as India Bridge Deck Section Plunges Into River
A deck section on a 40-year-old bridge in Gujarat, India plunged into a river along with vehicles on July 9. The death toll so far is reported to be 13. The Gambhira Bridge crosses the Mahisagar River in Gujarat's Vadodara district. Indian media reported that rescue operations were continuing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to victims' families and to those injured. He announced in a post on X that next of kin of each person who died would receive 50,000 rupees. “May the injured recover soon,” he wrote.
The New Indian Express reported that the district's executive engineer said the inspection report for the concrete and steel structure, built in 1985, “did not indicate any major structural damage. The bridge was not considered unsafe. The exact cause of the collapse will be known only after the detailed report is submitted.”
But the same news source also said there was an audio recording of a conversation in which a roads and bridges official states that he believed the Gambhira Bridge was not expected to last long. Whether that meant it had reached its useful life without massive maintenance or was in imminent danger of collapse isn't known.
The Indian government offered compensation to the next of kin of the deceased. Photo: AP
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