When the Gambhira Bridge collapsed, sending multiple vehicles plunging into the Mahisagar River, Tulkumar Thakor was among the first to respond. Upon hearing the news, he and a companion rushed to the site in an autorickshaw.
“Everything was broken, and people were drowning,” Thakor recalled. “We saw an elderly woman floating in the water and managed to rescue her. Some injured drivers were also taken to the hospital.”
Like him, several local residents sprang into action even before official rescue teams arrived.
Community Steps In Before Authorities
Ashok Chavda, who lives just below the bridge, said he helped rescue four people and recover five bodies. Arjun Parmar, along with his brothers, launched a boat into the river and saved four more individuals.
“The police arrived about an hour and a half later, followed by the fire department,” Parmar noted.
Eyewitness: ‘Vehicles Fell Like Toys’
Narendra Mali, an eyewitness, described the horrifying moment: “There was a loud cracking sound, and vehicles began falling off the bridge like toys. I saw two trucks, an Eco van, a pickup, a CNG vehicle, and two bikes plunge into the river. One body was tangled with a bike, and another was trapped inside an Eicher truck. Some victims couldn’t escape.”
Close Calls and Miraculous Escapes
Several survivors narrowly escaped death.
Sanjay Chavda (25), who was riding his bike across the bridge, said it felt like an earthquake. “I slammed the brakes just in time. Five to six vehicles had already fallen. My bike stopped right at the edge. My friends and I just ran. It was terrifying.”
Raju Athiya and his colleagues were traveling from Dwarka to Ankleshwar when their vehicle went over. “I managed to climb out and get into another vehicle, but I still don’t know what happened to my colleague,” he said.
Razak, a resident of Borsad, was in a pickup van with two others. “The driver shouted a warning, and we jumped out seconds before the van fell,” he said. The driver, Anwar, added, “Had we delayed by even a few seconds, we wouldn’t have survived.”
A Heartbreaking Loss
Sonal Padhiyar was the sole survivor from her family that was traveling to Bagdana in a pickup van. Though she managed to escape by climbing on top of the vehicle after it plunged into the river, her husband Ramesh and young children, Naitik (2) and Vedika (4), were trapped inside.
“The river’s current was strong. I screamed for help for nearly an hour, but no one came,” she sobbed. Locals eventually rescued her, and later, rescue teams recovered the bodies of her family.
Warnings Ignored?
Ganpatsinh Solanki, who was driving a tanker filled with chemicals from Dahej to Kandla, also survived the fall. “My tanker fell in along with six or seven other vehicles. I escaped through the window.”
Solanki added that he had long noticed issues with the bridge. “I drive this route regularly and have often felt the bridge shake whenever heavy vehicles passed over it.”