Bridge collapse cuts key road link in Pirojpur

Road communication along the Charkhali–Mathbaria route has been suspended after an iron bridge collapsed late last night in Mathbaria upazila of Pirojpur.

The bridge, located in front of Debipur Islamia Fazil Madrasah, collapsed around 11:30pm while a rice-laden truck was crossing it, officials said.

Mohammad Rasel, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in Pirojpur, confirmed the incident.

However, no casualties or injuries were reported.

According to local residents, two trucks were travelling towards Mathbaria from the Charkhali side at the time of the collapse. One vehicle managed to cross safely, while the other became stranded after the structure gave way under its load.

The truck remained stuck on the damaged bridge following the incident, bringing traffic on the route to a halt.

The disruption has affected movement between Mathbaria, Patharghata in Barguna, and other destinations including Dhaka, Khulna and Barishal, causing significant inconvenience to commuters and transport operators.

An adjacent girder bridge is under construction next to the collapsed structure but has not yet been opened to traffic.

RHD officials said personnel had been deployed to the site and efforts were under way to restore communication on the route.

“We are trying to make the bridge operational and have deployed workers for the purpose,” Rasel said.

However, he could not say when traffic on the route would resume.