Vadodara, Feb 3 (PTI) A small wooden boat ferrying people capsized in the Mahisagar river in Gujarat's Vadodara district on Tuesday, following which locals rescued all 10 passengers on board, police said.
The Mahisagar river flows between Mujpur village in Padra taluka of Vadodara and Gambhira in Kheda district on the opposite side.
On Tuesday morning, nearly 10 passengers boarded a small boat from the Mujpur side to reach Gambhira, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vadodara Rural, Akash Patel said.
"All ten passengers were rescued by locals after the boat overturned near the riverbank due to some unknown reasons. No one was injured or died in the incident," Patel said.
On July 9, 2025, a portion of a bridge connecting Mujpur and Gambhira collapsed, resulting in the death of 22 persons as several vehicles plunged into the river.
As the bridge has been shut for traffic following the incident, commuters are relying on boats to travel between Mujpur and Gambhira to avoid an additional road travel of nearly 50 km, former Padra Congress MLA Jashpalsinh Padhiyar said.
After learning about the boat capsize incident, Padra mamlatdar (revenue officer) along with Padhiyar and other local leaders rushed to the spot.
The Congress leader appealed to the government to start the bridge for at least small vehicles so that daily commuters do not have to use boats to cross the river.
"Since the bridge is totally shut for traffic after the incident, residents of nearby villages travelling between the two districts have been forced to take a lengthy detour of around 50 km. To avoid the long journey by road, they are relying on these small boats to cross the river," he said.
Days after the bridge collapse last year, the Gujarat government approved the construction of a parallel two-lane bridge and Rs 212 crore for the project-related work.