Long before it crumbled into the river below, the ill-fated bridge in Gujarat had been giving out ominous warnings. Locals had spoken in hushed tones for months about the structure that trembled under every passing vehicle. Some said it felt like driving over a giant drum. Last night, that drumbeat stopped—with a deadly silence.
At approximately 7:38 PM, a portion of the bridge spanning the Machchhu River near Morbi gave way, swallowing cars, motorcycles, and lives into the rushing waters. It wasn’t a shock for those who crossed it daily—it was a tragedy foretold.
“This wasn’t just a bridge collapse—it was a time bomb that finally exploded,” said Paresh Jhala, a commuter who narrowly avoided being on the bridge minutes before disaster struck. “Every time a truck passed, it would bounce. You could feel the bolts loosening.”
Built decades ago and given a cosmetic facelift in 2022, the bridge had become a symbol of neglect disguised as progress. Engineers had flagged issues, but those warnings were buried beneath red tape and bureaucratic back-patting. Multiple sources confirm that no load testing was done before reopening the bridge to the public.
Tragically, it was families returning from a local fair who bore the brunt of the collapse. Rescue workers recovered at least 17 vehicles from the riverbed as divers searched for survivors. So far, 34 people have been confirmed dead, with dozens injured or missing.
As chilling as the numbers are, what’s more haunting is that this bridge groaned under pressure for months. Locals shared videos showing visible swaying and uneven dips where the metal supports met the concrete slabs. Some called it a “wavy ride.” Others knew it was something worse.
District officials have launched a judicial inquiry. Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the site and vowed justice. “If negligence is found, action will be swift and uncompromising,” he said. But critics argue this is too little, too late. Civic engineers, infrastructure activists, and survivors alike are pointing fingers—not just at design flaws but also at the system that allowed this ticking time bomb to remain open to the public.
“The disaster was written in every creak of the steel and every crack in the concrete,” said bridge safety expert Kiran Dholakia. “What’s shocking is how many people knew—but did nothing.”
The collapse has sparked a massive public outcry on social media. Hashtags like #GujaratBridgeCollapse and #InfrastructureNegligence are trending nationwide. Users are sharing similar photos of aging bridges across India, sparking fear about what other disasters may be waiting in silence.
The tragedy has once again put the spotlight on India’s aging infrastructure, corruption in civic maintenance contracts, and the absence of real-time structural audits. This isn’t just a bridge that fell—it’s trust that collapsed, too.
For the families mourning tonight, there’s no solace in a promise of accountability. There is only grief—and the echo of a bridge that warned everyone, yet no one truly listened.