Skip to main content

Nepalese bridge issues

In Nepal a 159m long suspension bridge spanning the Trishuli River has collapsed, killing two and injuring 17 while five people are posted as missing. Meanwhile in neighbouring India, an old wooden bridge spanning the Rangit River has collapsed killing 32, injuring 70 and leaving 35 missing. A significant portion of those killed, injured or missing are Nepali speaking tea workers.
May 4, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
In Nepal a 159m long suspension bridge spanning the Trishuli River has collapsed, killing two and injuring 17 while five people are posted as missing. Meanwhile in neighbouring India, an old wooden bridge spanning the Rangit River has collapsed killing 32, injuring 70 and leaving 35 missing. A significant portion of those killed, injured or missing are Nepali speaking tea workers.

The suspension bridge over the Trishuli River was built 18 years ago and connected Bhumlichowk in Gorkha district and Fishling of Chitwan district, close to the Prithivi Highway.

The Indian bridge that collapsed was considerably older and may have dated back before India gained its independence according to sources. The structure was located some 80km from Darjeeling and connected Bijanbari with Chungthung providing a key route for the local tea industry.

On a more positive note, Nepal’s Ministry for Physical Planning and Works has inaugurated work to a bridge over Kamala River. This bridge will connect the Siraha and Dhanusa district headquarters and forms part of the Postal Highway network.

The pre-stressed girder bridge will measure 450m long by 7.5m wide and will be completed within the end of 2014, reducing the current journey distance from Siraha – Janakpur. The country’s new Postal Highways will boost development of the Terai Region and are being prioritised. Work to a further 53 bridges will also form part of the Postal Highway system and some funding will be provided by India.

Related Content

  • India’s poor road safety requires improvement
    September 13, 2016
    The Indian Government has revealed that 146,133 people died in crashes on the country’s roads during 2015. This figure is of concern as it is an increase of 4.6% over India’s road fatality rate of 139,671 for the previous year. Also of concern is the fact that over half of the people who died in crashes were aged from 15-34, revealing that there is a particularly high risk for the young on India’s roads. The data also shows that there were 501,423 reported crashes on India’s road network in 2015, an increas
  • Mozambique’ new bridge opens to traffic
    November 14, 2018
    Mozambique’s new suspension bridge connecting Maputo with Catembe is now open to traffic. The suspension bridge is the longest of its type in Africa, measuring almost 3km-long and surpassing the previous holder of this accolade, the Mapati Bridge in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new bridge spans Maputo Bay and forms part of a new highway connection running from Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, all the way to the border with South Africa. The route will be of major benefit for Mozambique, helping to boo
  • New bridge is spanning China’s Yangtze River
    June 28, 2013
    There is massive development in design and construction of bridges in China and the Yingwuzhou Bridge over the Yangtze River is one key project – Mike Woof reports, with assistance from Route One’s Chinese publishing partner *CMTM Called the Mother River, the Yangtze is a focal point for China politically, economically and culturally. The river has been at the heart of China’s development for millennia, its history stretching back as far as the dawn of human civilisation. The name Yangtze, or Yangzi, is its
  • Nepal's bridge issues
    February 23, 2012
    Structural problems have caused a recently constructed bridge in Nepal to deflect, even before it has been officially opened.