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Gambhira Bridge Collapse: At least five vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a portion of the four-decade-old Gambhira bridge collapsed this morning. The accident occurred at the Gambhira bridge during peak morning hours when vehicular traffic was significant in the area. Nine people were killed and six others are reported to be critical, officials said. A drone video of the site shows the extent of damage suffered by the bridge, located on the river which connects the central Gujarat and Saurashtra regions of the state.
The aerial shot shows a huge portion of the bridge over the river below. A large number of people are seen gathered on one side of the road while the other side remains largely empty.
The incident occurred on the Padra–Mujpur stretch, a key connector between Central Gujarat and Saurashtra, leading to a massive rescue operation by local authorities.
"The exact reason behind the incident will be probed," Gujarat's Health Minister Rushikesh Patel told mediapersons.
He said the bridge was constructed in 1985, and its maintenance was carried out periodically as and when required.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed technical experts to reach the site and conduct a probe into the reason for the collapse, he said.
Visuals showed that the entire slab of the bridge between the two piers had collapsed.
The incident occurred at around 7.30 am, and the vehicles, including two trucks and two vans, fell into the river, Padra police inspector Vijay Charan earlier said.
Teams from the Vadodara fire department and locals joined the rescue operation, which was still on, an official said.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also left for the incident site with rescue equipment, the official said.
The 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and connects Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat. It was inaugurated in 1985.