3 days after Vadodara bridge collapse, one person remains missing; probe to check if prior accident had damaged slab that gave way
The missing person has been identified as 22-year-old Vikram Ramanbhai Padhiyar from Anand district who was headed to his workplace with cousin Rajesh Chavda, who also died in the incident.
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A section of the bridge over the Mahisagar river had given way, leading to a number of vehicles falling in the water. (Express photo)Three days after the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge collapse in Vadodara district, search for one person, an employee of a private firm who has been missing since the incident, continued on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the state government said it would probe if an accident on the bridge had caused “damage to the slab or the articulation”, according to a statement.
On Wednesday, a section of the bridge over the Mahisagar river had given way, leading to a number of vehicles falling in the water. Twenty people have been declared dead so far in the incident.
The missing person has been identified as 22-year-old Vikram Ramanbhai Padhiyar from Anand district.
A 20-horsepower diamond-wire cutting machine has been brought over to the site on a boat to cut the slab that fell off the bridge. A team of forensic experts is also on the site to aid the investigations. (Express photo by Bhupendra Rana)
Search is on for the missing man, Superintendent of Police (SP), Vadodara Rural, Rohan Anand, told The Indian Express.
On Wednesday morning, Padhiyar had set out on a motorbike with cousin Rajesh Chavda to their workplace in Padra town. Both of them worked at an electrical components manufacturing factory, Chavda’s family had told this paper earlier.
While the body of Chavda, a resident of Devapura village in Anklav taluka, was found, Padhiyar is still missing.
“The district authorities are also breaking the slab of the bridge that has fallen into the river to check if anyone else might have got buried under it,” said the government release.
A 20-horsepower diamond-wire cutting machine has been brought over to the site on a boat to cut the slab that fell off the bridge. A team of forensic experts is also on the site to aid the investigations.
“The Padra police will investigate various facets: Was there an accident that caused the truck to fall and cause damage to the slab and articulation? The collection of loaded trucks and other vehicles at once on the bridge will also be probed,” according to the government statement.
SP Anand said, “After the incident, our first focus was on the rescue operation. We have registered a case of accidental death. For our probe, we will take statements of bystanders and people present on the spot. We are open to probe all possibilities that may have caused the incident. At present, it is premature to say anything.”
The bridge collapse occurred due to “crushing of the pedestal and articulation,” according to the preliminary report of the high-level inquiry committee constituted by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
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