The 200-meter suspension bridge, built around 18 years ago, collapsed with some tourists from Chennai, India, and locals were on it. Locals of Makaisingh, Bhumlichowk and Darbung used the bridge to cross the Trishuli to reach the Prithvi Highway.[break]
The deceased have been identified as Man Bahadur Ale, 60, of Darbung, Gorkha, and an Indian national Florence while the missing person, also an Indian national, has been identified as Amida.
Six persons had died when a tuin, an improvised cable crossing, connecting Jyamire Ghat of Dhading and Ghyalchowk of Gorkha snapped in June.
Two trucks, one tractor and a passenger bus operate on the other side for the benefit of the locals of the three VDCs in Gorkha.
All of those vehicles reached the bridge with goods and men Saturday afternoon. At around the same time, a tourist bus with green plate (Ga 1 Pa 109) heading to Pokhara from Kathmandu reached Phisling with some Indian nationals.
“The Indian tourists moved toward the bridge for sightseeing and to click photographs after they spotted a rafting boat,” Raju Gurung, who runs a hotel at the mouth of the bridge, said. “Moments later, I heard a big noise and felt my house shake. I thought it was an earthquake but later realized that the suspension bridge had snapped.”
The deceased Man Bhadur Ale and Bir Bahadur Thapa Magar of Darbung-1 had brought oranges from their village and Ale was returning to Gorkha after delivering the fruit at Phisling. “The bridge snapped when Ale was at the mouth of the bridge. The snapped cord struck him and he died immediately,” Bir Bahadur said.
The body of Indian woman Florence was found on the bank of Trishuli toward Gorkha. Fifteen of the injured persons are also Indian, according to Chitwan Police.
Locals claimed the cords of suspension bridge were not repaired ever since it was installed and it had no prescribed load limit. “Only wooden planks at the base were changed from time to time and we would ourselves be careful about the load limit,” Chhabi Lal Shrestha, a local, revealed.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the Kurintar Base Camp of the Armed Police Force (APF) Raj Khadka said the cord at the side of Gorkha snapped first followed by the one on the Chitwan side.
Security personnel of Nepal Police, APF and Nepal Army rescued people who had fallen into the river and sent them to Bharatpur for treatment.
The locals obstructed Prithivi Highway after the incident and allowed vehicular movement only after Chief District Officers (CDO) of Chitwan and Gorkha and political parties assured them about constructing another bridge at the same spot.
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