9 persons killed as vehicles fall into river after bridge collapse in Vadodara
Vadodara (PTI): Nine persons, including a child, were killed and nine others rescued after a portion of a four-decade-old bridge collapsed in Gujarat's Vadodara district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
A slab of the Gambhira bridge, located on Mahisagar river which connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region of the state, collapsed, killing nine persons, Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural) Rohan Anand said.
The bridge was located near Padra town in the district.
"According to the details available, around nine persons have died and another nine persons have been rescued, out of whom five have been referred to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara. None of the rescued persons is in critical condition. The rescue operation is still going on," Anand said.
He said 10 to 15 metres long slab of the bridge collapsed at around 7.30 am.
Five vehicles -- two trucks, two vans and an autorickshaw -- fell into the river after the bridge collapsed, Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya said.
Two other vehicles that came dangerously close to falling were dragged away to a safer location, the collector said.
Three persons on a two-wheeler, which fell into the river, managed to swim to safety, he added.
The nine persons killed in the bridge collapse included a child, Padra police inspector Vijay Charan said.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel Patel expressed grief over the tragedy and said an order has been given to the state's roads and buildings department to conduct a probe into the collapse and submit a report.
In a post on X, he said teams of the state roads and buildings department and private engineers specialising in bridge construction have been instructed to immediately reach the spot and conduct a preliminary investigation into the causes of the collapse and other technical matters, and submit a report.
"The fire brigade team of the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation are working with boats and swimmers at the accident site as part of the rescue and relief operations. The NDRF team has also reached the scene and joined the rescue operation," the CM said.
Gujarat minister Rushikesh Patel said the bridge was constructed in 1985, and its maintenance was carried out periodically as and when required. "The exact reason behind the incident will be probed," he said.
Visuals showed the entire slab of the bridge between two piers having collapsed. The slab collapse caused the vehicles, which were passing through it, to plunge into the river.
Teams from Vadodara fire department and locals joined the rescue operation, an official said.
The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and connects Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat. It was inaugurated in 1985.
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Kasaragod: ED books Kunhahmed Musliyar Memorial Trust for FCRA violation
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has registered a forex violation case against a Kerala-based charitable organisation for receiving Rs 220 crore from abroad in alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
The investigation pertains to Kunhahmed Musliyar Memorial Trust located in Kasargod and its chairman Ibrahim Ahmad Ali, an NRI.
Searches were conducted under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) at two locations in Kasargod on Thursday in connection with the case, the ED said in a statement.
The Trust, according to the ED, received more than Rs 220 crore since 2021 from Ibrahim Ahmad Ali, which was reflected in the books of accounts as "unsecured" loans.
However, no loan agreement, interest rate terms, or repayment schedule were available, and no repayment had been made till date, the probe agency said.
The probe found that these funds were received by Ali from a UAE company named Universal Lubricants LLC.
In the absence of supporting documents and in view of the clarification given under a section of the FCRA, the said loan prima facie qualified as "foreign contribution" under FCRA, the statement said.
According to the ED, the Trust is "not registered" under the FCRA and does not possess the "mandatory permission" or a designated FCRA bank account to receive foreign contributions.
It was found that a part of these foreign contributions was "utilised" for the purchase of agricultural land in India, in violation of the existing regulations.
The search action found that the Trust received Rs 2.49 crore in "cash" from Ali in violation of FEMA provisions.
"During the search, incriminating documents, ledger accounts showing unsecured loans of Rs 220 crore, the cash book of the Trust, and a hard disk containing financial data were seized," the ED said.
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