50-yr-old bridge collapses in Himachal's Nahan, traffic suspended

Nahan: A 50-year-old steel bridge collapsed here when a heavily loaded truck passed through it, bringing the traffic in the area to a halt, officials said on Tuesday. The bridge collapsed late Monday night. The driver of the limestone-loaded truck was injured and is being treated at the community hospital, they said.

Located in Danoi Khud on Dadahu-Renuka-Sangrah-Haripurdhar road, 6 km from Dadahu village here in Sirmaur district, the bridge was built in 1972 with a per-vehicle load capacity of 10 tonnes.

However, the bridge had weakened over the past 30 years as it was largely used by trucks, often carrying up to 40 tonnes of limestone from the mines in Sangrah, the locals said.

Sangrah Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mukesh Dadwal said the traffic to and from Sangrah-Haripurdhar and Dadahu-Renuka Ji has been diverted since Monday night. Commuters have been advised to commute on Jarag-Khud Dravil road.

Ram Bhaj, a local resident of Renuka Ji said Sangrah is only 25 km away but due to the current diversion through Jarag-Khud Dravil road, commuters will now have to cover around 60 km.

The affected road is especially busy during summer as a large number of tourists visit Haripurdhar from April to June.