The death toll in the collapse of a bridge over a river in Gujarat's Vadodara district has gone up to 15 with the recovery of three more bodies, officials said on Thursday.

"Rescue and recovery operation following the accident on the Mahisagar River has been ongoing since 10 am yesterday. The operation was temporarily halted last night due to a rise in the water level, but it resumed this morning at 7 am. Teams from the NDRF and SDRF are actively conducting search operations. Three bodies were recovered this morning, bringing the total death toll to 15. A total of 10 different agencies are involved in the rescue efforts," said Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya.

Several vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar river after a portion of the four-decade-old bridge collapsed near Gambhira village close to Padra town on Wednesday morning, "With the recovery of three more bodies from the river on Wednesday night, the death toll in the bridge collapse incident has reached 15. Five persons, who were injured in the incident, are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital," Vadodara district Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand said.

The two victims, whose bodies were found at night, have been identified as Mehram Hathiya (51) and Vishnu Raval (27).

A slab of the Gambhira-Mujpur bridge, which connects central Gujarat to the Saurashtra region of the state, collapsed at around 7 am on Wednesday, as per officials.

This caused the vehicles passing through the bridge to plunge into the river.

Five out of the nine rescued persons suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment at the SSG Hospital in Vadodara, said Anand, adding that none of the injured persons was in a critical condition.

A team comprising senior officials of the Roads and Buildings Department arrived here early Thursday morning to conduct a high-level investigation, a government release said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the tragedy and announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, respectively, to the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 as compensation to the injured.

In a post on X, Patel said teams of the state roads and buildings department and private engineers specialising in bridge construction have been instructed to immediately reach the spot and conduct a preliminary investigation into the causes of the collapse and other technical matters, and submit a report.

"The fire brigade team of the local municipality and Vadodara Municipal Corporation are working with boats and swimmers at the accident site as part of the rescue and relief operations. The NDRF team has also reached the scene and joined the rescue operation," the CM said.

Search and rescue operation was being carried out in the river by the NDRF and other agencies.

Various officials, including Vadodara Collector Anil Dhamelia, reached the spot early on Thursday and inspected the operation while revenue officials and police teams camped here overnight, said the release.

The nearly 900-metre-long Gambhira bridge has 23 piers and connects Vadodara and Anand districts of Gujarat. It was inaugurated in 1985.