Gujarat bridge collapse toll rises to 17

“Three persons remain unaccounted for, and at least ten teams from the NDRF, SDRF, and other agencies are scouring the river and its banks,” Vadodara collector Anil Dhameliya told reporters. “We have recovered 17 bodies so far. Five injured survivors are in stable condition and are expected to be discharged shortly.”

Dhameliya said that thick mud on the riverbed has hampered vehicle recoveries. “Heavy machinery cannot operate effectively in these conditions,” he explained.

In response to the disaster, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday suspended four engineers from the state’s Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department: Executive Engineer N.M. Nayakawala, deputy executive engineers U.C. Patel and R.T. Patel, and assistant engineer J.V. Shah. A government statement said Patel had ordered experts to review all repairs, inspections, and quality checks conducted on the bridge, and the suspensions followed their findings. The Chief Minister has also directed an immediate, intensive inspection of all other bridges across Gujarat.

The collapse has drawn fresh scrutiny over earlier warnings. In August 2022, social activist Lakhan Darbar, leader of the Yuva Sena, had recorded an audio plea to a senior R&B official to repair or replace the aging structure. Darbar also noted that local panchayat member Harshadsinh Parmar had formally written to the department, expressing concerns about the bridge’s condition.

On the day of the collapse, Nayakawala had insisted no major faults were detected during routine inspections, save for a bearing coat issue that was reportedly repaired last year. “There was no recommendation to close the bridge,” he told local media hours before his suspension.

This is the sixth major bridge failure in Gujarat since 2021. Notable prior incidents include the deadly Morbi suspension bridge collapse in October 2022, which killed 135 tourists, and multiple structural failures elsewhere that, while less catastrophic, have raised ongoing safety concerns.