Portion of old bridge collapses in Gujarat's Surendranagar; four injured

The incident occurred when a 40-ton dumper was trying to cross the bridge on a panchayat road near Wadhwan city, even though the entry of heavy vehicles was banned, an official said.

At least four persons were injured after a portion of an old bridge on the Bhogavo river in Gujarat's Surendranagar district collapsed on Sunday evening, an official said.

The incident occurred when a 40-ton dumper was trying to cross the bridge on a panchayat road near Wadhwan city, even though the entry of heavy vehicles was banned, the official said.

'A dumper and two motorcycles were on the bridge when its first slab collapsed, leaving four persons with minor injuries,' said Surendranagar Collector KC Sampat.

The heavy vehicle and motorcycles fell into the Bhogavo river, he said.

The collector said the bridge was nearly four decades old and it was under the care of the state Road and Buildings Department. A warning board was put up and the bridge was barricaded to prevent the movement of heavy vehicles, he said.

'Despite the barricades, a 40-ton dumper tried to cross the bridge, leading to the collapse of its first slab,' the collector said.

He said the request for a new bridge was already forwarded.