Thousands affected as bridge slab washed away

Tikapur: Parts of the Satti bridge along the Postal highway linking Kailali and Bardia has been washed away by the flooded Karnali river. As a result, thousands of people using this bridge every day have been affected.

Following the incident, the road linking Sudur Paschim to Lumbini province has been shut down. Slabs of the bridge were washed away by the Karnali river on Saturday afternoon, thereby leaving the bridge unusable for the travellers. Vehicles and passengers have been left stranded on the two ends of the bridge.

This is the time of cultivation and the bridge was vital for farmer’s mobility, said local resident of Rajapur Bikram Kayashtha. Many citizens in Kailali have farming land in Bardia and they used to commute to and from the land every day.

Construction of the bridge was completed only five years ago. “If immediate action is not taken the bridge could suffer further damage,” said Tikarpur municipality-8 chair Dirgha Bahadur Thakulla.