Palanpur: A portion of an under-construction bridge collapsed in Palanpur town in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Monday, resulting in the tragic death of three people, said officials.
According to reports, three people including a rickshaw driver were buried under the debris. A slab of the bridge, measuring more than 50 meters in length, collapsed near Palanpur's RTI Circle on the road leading to Ambaji.
Two bodies recovered so far
CCTV footage of the overbridge slab collapsing was revealed. The CCTV footage revealed that an individual abandoned his autorickshaw upon realizing that a section of the bridge was collapsing. He attempted to flee to safety but was tragically crushed under the heavy concrete slabs.
The Superintendent of Police (SP), the District Magistrate (DM), and the administration team arrived at the scene of the incident to initiate debris removal. So far, two bodies have been recovered from the debris.
Congress on bridge collapse
Congress leader Amit Chavda, responding to the unfolding tragedy, has expressed grave concerns regarding the safety of the individuals believed to be buried under the rubble.
"An overbridge collapsed near Palanpur RTO Circle. Three persons including a rickshaw driver are feared to be buried in the debris after a part of the overbridge collapsed. This is not the bridge, but corruption has developed, now the officers will be changed again, will they be reprimanded?" he said in a post on X.
Notably, the search and rescue operation at the site is underway.