Four people were injured after a sand-laden truck fell into a canal when a Bailey bridge collapsed in Gopalganj.

Eyewitnesses said the bridge suddenly gave way while the truck was crossing it, causing the vehicle to plunge into the canal.

An easy bike and a bicycle also fell into the water, leaving four people, including the truck driver, his helper and the easy bike driver injured.

The incident has caused severe disruption, as all vehicle movement on the main road connecting Gopalganj district town has been suspended.

The injured received first aid. However, efforts to recover the truck from the canal had not begun at the time of reporting.

Samar Bain, a resident of the Pachuria area, said that neither the construction company nor the Roads and Highways Department had placed warning signs or informed the public that the bridge was unsafe.

He added that the overloaded truck attempted to cross despite warnings from local residents, leading to the collapse and causing hardship for the public.

Another resident said, “We use this bridge every day to travel to the town for business. Its collapse will cause significant difficulties. We now have to travel an extra 1.5 kilometres to reach the town. I believe this happened because of negligence by the Roads and Highways Department.”

A local student said, “I cross this bridge every day to attend school and private tuition classes. The collapse has created major difficulties, as I now have to take a much longer route.”

Resident Rezaul Islam said, “The Roads and Highways Department removed one of the two Bailey bridges without providing an alternative route or transport arrangements. This increased pressure on the remaining bridge. If the authorities had carried out their responsibilities properly, this accident could have been avoided. The bridge had been a safety risk for a long time.”

Jahangir Alam, Executive Engineer of the Gopalganj Roads and Highways Department, said the authorities were aware of the situation and had already started work.

He said the collapsed Bailey bridge would be reinstalled at the same location and the work could be completed within two to three days.

Responding to questions about why bridge construction began without an alternative diversion road, he explained that there was insufficient space at the site and therefore no diversion road was included in the project tender.

He added that efforts were being made to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.