On Wednesday morning, what began as a peaceful journey for Sonalben Padhiyar and her family turned into a nightmare. Their van, crossing the Gambhira bridge in Gujarat’s Vadodara district, plunged into the Mahisagar river when a section of the 40-year-old structure collapsed.
Sonalben, 35, was the only one to survive. Her husband Ramesh (38), daughter Vedika (4), and son Naitik (2) died on the spot.
A Morning Devoted to Prayer
They left home at 6:30 a.m., heading to a temple in Bagdana for prayers. The journey was tragically short. By 7:00 a.m., they were already on the Gambhira bridge.
Without warning, the bridge gave way. Vehicles tumbled into the river. A truck fell directly onto the van carrying Sonalben and her family.
“We were headed to Bagdana to offer prayers. There were seven of us in the van,” she told PTI. “I was sitting in the back. That’s what saved me.”
Her voice, in a viral video, echoed across the collapsed span.
“Maro dikro doobi gayo, Maro gharwalo doobi gayo… please save them,” she cried out.
A Plea for Help That Went Unanswered
After the collapse, Sonalben climbed atop one of the half-submerged vehicles.
She cried for help for nearly an hour. She said no one came forward.
“The water was deep. I kept crying, but there was no one,” she recalled. “I knew I had lost them. Who survives a fall like that?”
Nearby, a man recording the video from the bridge can be heard saying that rescue teams were on their way.
No One Made It Out from the Van
According to news agency PTI, everyone else in the van died.
In an interview quoted by The Indian Express, Sonalben said, “My grandson was the youngest, just two. I knew they were gone. I just sat there and cried.”
Her village, Mujpur in Padra taluka, has been in mourning since the news broke.
ALSO READ | Bridge Collapse in Gujarat Kills 12, Sparks Safety Concerns
Ten Lives Lost in Total
At least ten people died in the collapse. Two lorries, a tanker, an SUV, a van, and an auto-rickshaw were among the vehicles that fell into the river.
The entire bridge slab between two piers collapsed.
Maintenance Under Scrutiny
Gujarat Minister Rushikesh Patel confirmed that the bridge was constructed in 1985.
He added that maintenance was “carried out periodically as and when required.”
The incident has renewed questions about infrastructure safety across the region. An official investigation is expected to determine whether warning signs were missed or ignored.
For now, one woman’s voice lingers in the minds of many.
Crying out for help, sitting alone above the water, with her family gone beneath it.
