Vadodara bridge collapse toll rises to 18; two missing

The death toll in the collapse of a bridge over the Mahisagar river in Gujarat's Vadodara district climbed to 17 on Thursday, while the search for missing persons is still underway, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Congress lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi led-BJP government, saying it was "incompetent" and marred with "corruption".

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The BJP leadership and government, which are busy in speeches and advertisements, have crossed all limits of indifference."

He said the Gujarat bridge collapse incident was a result of "leadership crisis and corruption". As many as six vehicles had plunged into the Mahi river after a key section of a 39-year-old bridge caved in near Mujpur village, 27 km from Vadodara.

The Congress pointed out that the collapse reignited memories of the Morbi tragedy that took place in October 2022, when a 19th-century suspension bridge gave way after renovation, killing 135 and injuring 56.

Built in 1986, the bridge near Mujpur links central Gujarat to Saurashtra and is heavily used by trucks and tankers from industrial zones in Padra and Ankleshwar. Many commuters favour it to avoid tolls on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway.

Saying that this is the seventh incident of bridge collapse in Gujarat since 2021, the Congress chief said accidents have become a common thing in the country. "The country has not yet recovered from the plane crash and yesterday the news of a bridge collapse came from Gujarat," he said.

The party's leaders from Gujarat, including Lalji Desai and Jignesh Mevani, also criticised the BJP government over the incident. Mevani said the people of Vadodara had repeatedly told the authorities about the dilapidated condition of the bridge.

"Compromised, spineless officers are being given responsibility to investigate these cases. The big crocodiles linked with the BJP are not being touched. If honest officers are not given responsibility to investigate these cases, we will come on roads," he said.

Another Congress leader from Gujarat Lalji Desai, who is also the chief of Seva Dal said whole governance has collapsed in the state.