Kanchanpur, September 30
The government has begun a technical study into the damage to the suspension bridge over the Mahakali River connecting Dodhara Chandani and Bhimdatta Municipality in Kanchanpur.
The bridge has been completely closed to traffic after one of its spans and the central tower collapsed this morning.
Kanchanpur Chief District Officer Madan Koirala inspected the damaged bridge this morning and said a technical study would be carried out to determine how the bridge was damaged.
According to Koirala, security personnel were deployed, and movement across the bridge was immediately halted after authorities received information early this morning that the bridge had become “unbalanced.” At around 8 am, one section of the bridge collapsed into the river. The bridge is currently not usable.
“One span of the bridge and one of its central towers have collapsed. It is not possible to cross the bridge at present,” Chief District Officer Koirala said.
Koirala said a technical team from the Infrastructure Directorate under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of Sudurpaschim Province has been called in to identify the technical cause of the damage. The team will conduct an on-site inspection and analyse how the bridge was damaged.
He said the necessary process for repairing and reopening the bridge would begin after the technical team completes its study. If the problem can be addressed within the jurisdiction and capacity of the provincial government, work will be carried out at the provincial level. If it cannot be resolved at the provincial level, the federal government will be approached for coordination and support.
“If the technical analysis shows that the provincial government can address the issue, we will proceed accordingly. If it is a technical problem that cannot be resolved by the provincial government, we will coordinate with the federal ministry to determine how the bridge can be repaired and reopened as soon as possible,” Koirala said.
He said the process of reopening the bridge as soon as possible would be taken forward in coordination with the concerned agencies once the technical team’s report is received.
Koirala also urged the general public not to visit the site, including to inspect the bridge or record videos, as the damaged structure remains dangerous.
