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With the recovery of 4 more dead bodies, the number of deceased rose to 16, in a bridge collapse over the Mahisagar River in Gujarat's Vadodara district, informed the officials on Thursday, adding that three people are still missing.

 

The incident occurred on Wednesday morning, when several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a portion of the four-decade-old bridge, connecting Anand and Vadodara districts, collapsed near Gambhira village close to Padra town of Vadodara.

 

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were searching the river to locate any survivors or bodies of the victims, said Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya.

 

"Teams of the NDRF and SDRF are searching up to 4 kilometers downstream the river. Till now, 16 bodies have been recovered while three persons are still missing, as per the list available with us. People can call our control room to inform us about other missing persons," Dhameliya told reporters.

 

He said apart from the three missing persons who have been identified, there could be others because there were no specific details available about the occupants of a car and a mini-truck which were among the vehicles that fell into the river and got stuck in three meters of mud.

 

"Rain and a thick layer of mud in the river are making the rescue operation a challenging task because no machine is working in such a situation. A special bridge is being constructed on the shore to get closer to the drowned vehicles in the middle of the river," the collector said.  

 

Also Read: Assam bridge collapses a month after reopening, 2 injured

 

A slab of the Gambhira-Mujpur bridge, which connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region of the state, collapsed at around 7 am on Wednesday, as per officials.

 

Five out of the nine rescued persons suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment at the SSG Hospital in Vadodara, Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand earlier said, adding none of the injured persons was in a critical condition. Meanwhile, a team comprising senior officials of the Roads and Buildings Department, arrived today morning at the site to conduct a high-level investigation.

 

Activist alerted about bridge's 'poor' condition before 3 yrs; no action was taken -

 

Three years before, Social activist Lakhan Darbar had alerted about its "dangerous condition" to a government official, who also admitted at that time that the structure "may not survive long". However, the agencies concerned did not take any action, cited Darbar, saying that he had flagged the concerns regarding the bridge during his conversation with a government official in August 2022.

 

An audio clip of the August 2022 conversation between Darbar and the government official also went viral on social media platforms after the incident. In the audio clip, Darbar can be heard urging the state Roads and Buildings Department official to either repair the bridge or build a new one. The activist informed him that Vadodara district panchayat member Harshadsinh Parmar had also sent a letter to the department expressing concern over the condition of the bridge, constructed four decades ago (40 yrs).

 

In the audio clip, Darbar said, "Sir, the bridge is in a dangerous condition and Parmar had also written a letter to the R&B department about it recently. I have been trying to talk to you about this for some time. People's lives are in danger but no action has been taken yet. We will sit on a fast if no steps are taken." In his response, the official can be heard admitting that a survey conducted by a private consultant indicated that the bridge may not survive for long.

 

Also Read: What triggered Pune’s fatal bridge collapse

 

"Even we believe that the bridge may not survive for long...But how can we just shut the bridge? I have conveyed the matter to my superiors. A proposal to either build a new bridge or strengthen the existing one has also been sent to them. Our design team will visit the bridge and decide if it is fit or not," the official told Darbar at that time.

 

After the bridge collapsed on Wednesday, Darbar reached the spot and told reporters that the R&B department failed to shut it for vehicles despite knowing that it was dangerous.

 

"This is the main bridge which connects Anand with Vadodara district and thousands of vehicles use it everyday. People have been complaining about unusual vibrations for some time. Officials knew about the condition of the bridge three years ago but did not take any action," the activist said.

 

"When I called a senior official in August 2022, he also admitted that the bridge was in bad shape. Their own test gave negative feedback. They should have shut the bridge with immediate effect. Instead, they did not make test results public and kept the bridge operational, which resulted in this tragedy," he said.

 

Executive Engineer says no 'major fault was suspected' -

 

However, the Executive Engineer of R&B's Vadodara division Nainish Naykawala said no major fault was detected in the bridge during the department's inspection.

 

"There was no demand to shut the bridge for vehicular movement. As per our reports, no major damage was detected during our inspection. There was an issue with the bearing coat but it was already repaired last year," he said.

 

Also Read: Ageing bridges can collapse; here’s how to safeguard them

 

India needs regular monitoring of bridges: International Road Federation -

 

The International Road Federation (IRF) has also expressed concern over the collapse of a section of the Gambhira bridge. The Geneva-based global road safety body called for the requirement for regular monitoring and maintenance of bridges and other vital infrastructure in the country.

 

"Regular use of these structures further accelerates their deterioration. Concerned authorities, including civil and structural engineers, must conduct regular assessments of bridge elements to establish conditions and then address critical defects to preserve the safety and integrity of bridges," IRF President Emeritus K K Kapila.

 

He said managing vital assets for maximising service life and serviceability demands innovative and modern technologies.

 

IRF India chapter president Akhilesh Srivastava said innovations in terms of instrumentation, data analysis, and artificial intelligence offer great potential for the monitoring and maintenance of infrastructures, as a complement to traditional visual inspection methods.