Hundres of travellers have been left stranded after the 32-metre long iron truss bridge gave way at around 6:30pm on Monday.

According to witnesses, the bridge broke while two Narayangadh-bound tippers and a truck heading west crossed at the same time.

More than 1,200 vehicles use the road on a daily basis, said District Traffic Police Office in Nawalparasi.

Long-route vehicles have been stranded, police confirmed. Some light vehicles moved through an alternate road via Gairigaun. Human movement has also been prohibited in fear that the bridge could collapse any time.

The bridge that came into operation 36 years ago gave way in similar fashion in 2011. “The bridge broke in a similar way four years ago. The bridge was already dilapidated,” said local Shashidhar Kandel, demanding that the government replace it with a new bridge.  

Inspector Surya Kumar Shrestha, chief at District Traffic Police Office in Nawalparasi, said the bridge fell some five metres below and developed cracks. “Transport movement cannot be resumed unless the construction of a diversion,” said Shrestha.

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded in the area after the incident.