Bailey bridge in Mollahat collapses, traffic disrupted
A sand-laden truck fell into a canal after the Bailey bridge it was crossing collapsed in Mollahat upazila of Bagerhat today.
As a result, movement of vehicles through that bridge has been halted.
In the morning, the Bailey bridge over the Mara Chitra River in Mollahat upazila's Natun Ghoshgati area on the Bagerhat-Mollahat road collapsed. Police arrived at the scene, our local correspondent reports quoting locals.
Locals said they were woken around 4:00am by a loud noise and saw the bridge had collapsed and that a truck had fallen into the canal. The truck driver and helper fled immediately after the incident, they said.
Mollahat Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kazi Golam Kabir said, "The sand-laden truck was going to Baraghat on the old road. The truck got on the Bailey bridge on its way to Ghoshgati by mistake, breaking the bridge and falling into the canal. Police have been deployed at the spot to keep the situation normal. The truck could not be lifted up yet."
Bagerhat Roads Department Executive Engineer Farid Uddin said there are 10 Bailey bridges on the old road from Bagerhat to Mollahat and most are risky.
Heavy vehicles are not allowed on the road to avoid accidents. Even then, some drivers load extra goods on trucks and drive along the road, said Farid Uddin.
"I got news that the truck had fallen in and sent a man. Efforts are being made to retrieve the truck as soon as possible and repair the bridge," he said, adding that the process of removing the risky Bailey bridges and constructing concrete or RCC bridges was also underway.
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