Overview

• The 40-year-old Gambhira Bridge on the Padra-Mujpur route collapsed shortly after 7:30 AM on July 9, sending two trucks, two vans, a rickshaw and motorcycles into the river during peak traffic.
• Fifteen fatalities have been confirmed and four people remain missing as the National and State Disaster Response Forces carry out search operations up to four kilometers downstream.
• Authorities have launched a formal inquiry to determine whether monsoon-induced damage and long-delayed maintenance contributed to the structural failure.
• The Government of Gujarat has pledged 400,000 rupees in compensation per fatality and additional relief for the injured, while the Prime Minister has offered payments from national relief funds.
• The incident follows similar high-profile bridge failures in Pune last month and a 2022 suspension bridge collapse in Gujarat, intensifying scrutiny of India’s aging transport infrastructure.