Dramatic Video Shows 30-Year-Old Gujarat Bridge Washed Away By Rain

A group of around 12 men stand on the edge of a bridge washed away by the heavy rains in Gujarat's Junagadh on Monday, a video, shared multiple times on social media, shows. The nearly 30-year-old masonry bridge in Bamnasa village over the Sabli river served as a lifeline for the locals who used it for their daily commute to and from their village.  

"The bridge was already old and heavy vehicles were prohibited from using it. A warning sign was also placed near it as it was already damaged. Nobody was injured after it caved in," Junagadh District Development Officer Praveen Chaudhary said.

A request for its repair is pending for the last two years.

The aerial footage of the area shows locals, absolutely cut off from the rest of the district, as a massive river meanders over which the bridge once stood.  

On Monday, heavy rainfall had caused water-logging in several parts of Saurashtra and flooded roads and agricultural fields in many districts, official said, adding, the Droneshwar dam in Gir Somnath had also overflowed.

A team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has also been deployed to meet rain-related exigencies in the area, officials said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the monsoon will remain "vigorous" and heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in parts of Saurashtra and North and South Gujarat over the next three days, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)