Gambhira Bridge collapse: From Morbi to CSMT, India's long list of falling bridges

The Gambhira Bridge, which spanned the Mahisagar River and connected Vadodara and Anand districts in Gujarat, collapsed on Wednesday morning, adding yet another entry to India's long and troubling list of bridge failures.

Bridge collapses in India are not uncommon. According to a 2020 study titled "Analysis of Bridge Failures in India from 1977 to 2017", published in the international journal Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, a staggering 2,130 bridges have collapsed over the last 40 years—primarily due to natural disasters (80.3%), material deterioration (10.1%), and overloading (3.28%).




According to a govt press release of August 2024, 42 major and miror bridges collapsed in the last five years (2019-2024).

The Road Transport ministry last year, as reported by the Times of India, said that 21 bridges — 15 completed and six under construction — collapsed on National Highways alone in the past three years from 2021 to 2024.

Major Bridge Collapses in Recent Years

• In August 2023, an under-construction railway bridge in Mizoram's Sairang district collapsed suddenly, claiming the lives of 26 workers.
• On June 15, 2025, in Pune’s temple town of Kundmala, an iron bridge over the Indrayani River collapsed, killing four people and injuring over 50 others.
• Last month, a bridge over the Harang River near the Assam-Meghalaya border collapsed while two trucks were crossing.
• Morbi Suspension Bridge (Gujarat) – Collapsed on October 30, 2022, killing 135 and injuring 56.
• CSMT Foot Overbridge (Mumbai) – Collapsed on March 14, 2019, resulting in six deaths and 30 injuries.
• Varanasi Flyover Segment – Collapsed on May 15, 2018, killing 18 people.
• Majerhat Bridge (Kolkata) – Collapsed on September 4, 2018, causing three fatalities and 24 injuries.
• Vivekananda Road Flyover (Kolkata) – Partially collapsed in 2016, killing 27 and injuring 80.
• Darjeeling Wooden Footbridge – Collapsed under crowd pressure on October 22, 2011, killing 32 and injuring 60+.
• Kameng River Footbridge (Arunachal Pradesh) – Collapsed on October 29, 2011, killing at least 30.