Soil erosion under bridge halts traffic between Ruma and Thanchi

Torrential rain brought by Cyclone Remal has caused the soil under a Bailey Bridge near Laimi Para in Bandarban to erode, halting the movement of heavy vehicles on the Ruma-Thanchi road, with locals already distressed due to power outages.

On Tuesday morning, various areas in Bandarban experienced intermittent rainfall and winds, after Remal made landfall in the country late on Sunday. 

The weather conditions also caused trees to fall on power lines, disconnecting electricity connections in different upazilas for over 17 hours.

The absence of electricity and prolonged mobile network outages disrupted communication in these areas.

Furthermore, soil erosion under the bailey bridge, next to the Milonchhori police camp on the Ruma-Thanchi road, caused the bridge to cave in, stopping the movement of heavy vehicles.

Sahab Uddin, a lineman from the Thanchi Bus Owners Association, said the movement of heavy vehicles has been suspended on the road to prevent accidents.

Milonchhori police camp in-charge Robindu Chakma said due to heavy rainfall, the soil under a section on the south side of the bridge has eroded.