Two siblings who went with their parents early yesterday to a temple nearly 280 km from their home in the Vadodara district, seeking to express gratitude after their prayers were answered, lost their lives in the tragic Gambhira Bridge accident. Four-year-old Vedika and her one-year-old brother Naitik went with their father, Ramesh Padhiyar, and mother, Sonal Padhiyar, who made a mannat (wish) at Bagdana Bapa Sitaram temple in Bhavnagar district. They were going to the Bagdana Bapa Sitaram temple in Bhavnagar district to thank God for answering their prayers. The family of four was among several relatives travelling together in a van when tragedy struck. As they were crossing the Mahisagar river on the 40-year-old Gambhira bridge, the structure suddenly gave way, sending the van and multiple other vehicles plummeting into the river below, NDTV reported. Sonal managed to open a door and break free to the surface. But her relief was short-lived, as she frantically scanned the area only to realise her children and husband were nowhere to be seen. Hours later, what she feared most was confirmed: her husband and children had died. “Our family and some other relatives from our village had hired a van to visit the Bagdana temple. Around 7 am, when we were crossing the bridge, it collapsed. The vehicle in front of our car fell into the river, and our van followed. When I managed to come to the surface of the water, I screamed for help. I kept screaming and asking people to save my children and husband. Help came an hour later, everyone in that van, except me, died,” said Sonal. A video captured the emotional aftermath of the tragedy, showing Sonal Padhariya’s anguished cries for help as she stood waist-deep in the river water, screaming for help to save her family. Those on the bridge are heard assuring that help is on its way; however, it arrived too late to make a difference. According to NDTV, who spoke with Harshad Singh Parmar, a Panchayat member from Munjapur village, home of the Padhiyars, Ramesh and Sonal had four daughters and had prayed at the Bagdana temple for a son. “Their wish was fulfilled, and a son was born. That’s why they were going to the temple,” he said. He also said that for the past several years, they had been raising this bridge issue. People would say the bridge shook violently, and they were scared. “We had asked the authorities to reduce the traffic load on this bridge. But nothing was done. Now people from my village have died in the bridge collapse,” he said. The death toll in the Vadodara bridge collapse reached 15 on Thursday with the recovery of one more body. Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel suspended an Executive Engineer, two Deputy Executive Engineers, and one Assistant Engineer from the Roads and Buildings Department over the accident. A high-level inquiry led to immediate action, and the Chief Minister has ordered thorough inspections of other state bridges to ensure public safety. The incident occurred on Wednesday when a portion of the Gambhira Bridge, which is built over the Mahisagar River and connects Vadodara and Anand, collapsed, plunging vehicles into the river. The bridge was built in 1985. Following a recommendation from local BJP MLA Chaitanyasinh Zala, the state government approved the construction of a new bridge. A survey was conducted and plans to build the new bridge were afoot. The Gambhira bridge was repaired and kept open to traffic.