Vadodara: At least nine people lost their lives after the Gambhira bridge connecting Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat collapsed on Wednesday, July 9. Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River. However, a tanker had a close shave as it stopped just at the edge of the broken bridge.

A video of the tanker hanging in the middle of the broken bridge surfaced online. In the video, it could be seen that a slab of the Gambhira bridge fell into the river. The front part of the vehicle was on the broken portion of the bridge.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall is reported in several parts of Gujarat, received heavy rainfall in the past few days, throwing normal life out of gear.

The bridge connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region. 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,” Superintendent of Police (Vadodara rural) Rohan Anand said as reported by news agency.

As per the police official, a 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. Three people on a two-wheeler, which fell into the river, managed to swim to safety, Dhameliya added.

Chief Minister Bhupendra 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.

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.

The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and was inaugurated in 1985.

Patna: Massive protests swept through Bihar on Tuesday, July 8, as members of the INDIA bloc, including the RJD, Congress, other Left parties, and the Mahagathbandhan allies, took to the streets against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the central government’s new labour code.

Roads were barricaded with burning tyres and railway tracks were blocked, bringing movement to a standstill in several districts across Bihar.

Early visuals from Hajipur showed RJD supporters blocking the Gandhi Setu, one of the key road links in the state. In Sonpur, the protest was led by RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan, with thick police presence deployed to manage the crowd. Jehanabad saw students from the RJD’s youth wing occupying railway tracks, disrupting train services.

Local leaders are leading demonstrations in multiple districts, including Sonpur, Hajipur, and Jehanabad, raising slogans against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to carry out the SIR process just months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. Protesters allege the revision is being conducted hastily and is designed to benefit the ruling NDA by selectively altering voter lists.

Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav to Lead March in Patna

Later in the day, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi is expected to join RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for a protest march in Patna. The two leaders will walk from the Income Tax office at Golambar to the Election Commission office, raising their voices against what they call “undemocratic” actions.

At a press conference on Monday, Tejashwi Yadav criticised both the SIR and the implementation of the new labour code. “This process is creating confusion and is clearly rushed. It is meant to manipulate the voter base ahead of elections,” he said, flanked by Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar and leaders from Left parties.

The protest also coincides with a Bharat Bandh called by 10 central trade unions demanding a nationwide minimum wage and labour reforms.

Chennai, June 10: A plastic nurdle spill from the sunken cargo ship MSC ELSA 3 has spread into the newly declared Dhanushkodi Greater Flamingo Sanctuary in Ramanathapuram district, threatening one of India’s most fragile coastal ecosystems.

The MSC ELSA 3, a Liberian-flagged vessel, sank off the Kochi coast a few weeks ago while carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials, 12 with calcium carbide, 367 tonnes of furnace oil, and 84 tonnes of diesel.

The ship’s cargo manifest remains undisclosed, fuelling speculation about the full extent of environmental risk.

Dhanushkodi Sanctuary, located within the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, supports 128 species of birds — including Greater and Lesser Flamingos — and is home to sea turtles, crustaceans, molluscs, and fish. Its dunes, marshes, and seagrass beds form part of the Central Asian Flyway for migratory birds.

The nurdles — tiny plastic pellets used in industrial manufacturing — resemble fish eggs and can be deadly to marine life. When ingested, they cause internal blockages, starvation, and often death. They also absorb toxins, entering the food chain and posing long-term health hazards.

About 80 bags, each weighing 25 kilograms, have reportedly washed ashore along a 12-km coastal stretch. Affected sites include the Dhanushkodi old church, Irattaithalai, Mugandharayan Chathiram, Gothanda Ramar temple, and Patchappatti village.

Carried by ocean currents from the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanniyakumari coast, the spill now threatens the adjacent Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, home to vital coral reefs and seagrass beds.

Experts warn these habitats could be smothered by plastic debris, blocking sunlight and disrupting photosynthesis.

Ramanathapuram District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon said, “We’ve identified between 15 and 30 nurdle bags along the coast. A special team has been deployed for cleanup, and additional teams are monitoring for further debris.”

He urged the public not to panic, stating that swift action was underway.

The disaster evokes memories of the 2021 X-Press Pearl incident in Sri Lanka, where 1,680 tonnes of nurdles led to mass marine deaths and crippled fisheries.

Studies showed severe impacts on plankton and larval life forms, threatening entire food chains.

Cleanup efforts in Ramanathapuram face challenges due to the nurdles’ buoyancy and small size, worsened by monsoon waves that break them into microplastics.

With the 61-day annual fishing ban nearing its end, fishermen fear reduced fish catches and consumer hesitancy could harm their livelihoods if the spill worsens.

Environmentalists are calling for urgent intervention, cargo transparency, and long-term containment measures to prevent irreversible damage to one of India’s most critical marine ecosystems.