The Bridgeghat bridge on the Rangamati-Bandarban road has collapsed following days of heavy rain and strong currents triggered by landslides, severing road communication between the two districts.
The embankment of a rubber dam in the Sukhvilas-Dudhpukuria area of Padua union in Rangunia upazila of Chittagong also collapsed, inundating surrounding areas and disrupting road connectivity.
The Bridgeghat bridge sustained severe damage on Saturday night before collapsing. As a result, all vehicular movement on the Rangamati-Bandarban road has remained suspended since Saturday morning.
Liton Das, general secretary of the Bangalhalia CNG Association, and drivers Nunu Badsha and Manik said continuous rainfall caused water levels in nearby hills and rivers to rise sharply. They said the collapse of the rubber dam embankment at Dudhpukuria created a strong current that washed away the bridge.
Residents Md Tushar and Md Tipu of the Dudhpukuria-Bridgeghat area said the bridge collapsed after the embankment gave way, leaving local people in severe distress.
They said similar incidents occur during every monsoon due to hill erosion, but the lack of permanent preventive measures has left residents vulnerable year after year. They demanded immediate reconstruction of the embankment and either repair or replacement of the bridge.
Sakhawat Hossain, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department in Bandarban, said the bridge collapsed due to the strong current created after the rubber dam embankment breached.
He said a Roads and Highways Department team is ready with the necessary equipment to restore connectivity but has not yet been able to reach the site because roads in the Balaghata and Swarna Mandir areas remain submerged.