Death toll in Vadodara bridge collapse reaches 13

Vadodara | The death toll in the collapse of a bridge over a river in Gujarat's Vadodara district has gone up to 13 with the recovery of two more bodies, officials said on Thursday.

Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a portion of the four-decade-old bridge collapsed near Gambhira village close to Padra town on Wednesday morning,

"With the recovery of two more bodies from the river on Wednesday night, the death toll in the bridge collapse incident has reached 13. Five persons, who were injured in the incident, are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital," Vadodara district Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand said.

The two victims, whose bodies were found at night, have been identified as Mehram Hathiya (51) and Vishnu Raval (27).

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.

This caused the vehicles passing through the bridge to plunge into the river.

Five out of the nine rescued persons suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment at the SSG Hospital in Vadodara, said Anand, adding that none of the injured persons was in a critical condition.

A team comprising senior officials of the Roads and Buildings Department arrived here early Thursday morning to conduct a high-level investigation, a government release said.

Search and rescue operation was being carried out in the river by the NDRF and other agencies.

Various officials, including Vadodara Collector Anil Dhamelia, reached the spot early on Thursday and inspected the operation while revenue officials and police teams camped here overnight, said the release.