Bridge Collapse Cuts Rangamati-Bandarban Road

A key bridge on the Rangamati-Bandarban highway has collapsed following continuous heavy rainfall and powerful hill torrents in Rangunia Upazila of Chattogram, severing direct road communication between the two neighbouring hill districts. The incident has left thousands of travellers stranded and brought all vehicular movement along the route to a complete halt.

The bridge collapsed sometime during Friday night in the Dudhpukuria area of Padua Union under Rangunia Upazila. Since then, traffic has been suspended on the affected section of the road, disrupting the movement of passengers, goods vehicles and emergency services. Local residents, commuters, students and office workers have been forced to seek alternative routes, many of which are significantly longer and more difficult to navigate.

According to local residents and officials from the Roads and Highways Department, the area experienced a powerful surge of water from hill torrents throughout Friday night. The situation worsened after an embankment protecting a nearby rubber dam gave way, dramatically increasing the pressure of the rushing water. The force of the current eventually damaged one section of the bridge, causing it to collapse and making the route unsafe for all traffic.

Although the bridge is physically located within Rangunia Upazila, it falls under the maintenance jurisdiction of the Bandarban Roads and Highways Division. Officials said an engineering assessment will be carried out as soon as the affected site becomes accessible.

Executive Engineer Md Sakhawat Hossain of the Bandarban Roads and Highways Department told our representative that engineering teams had been unable to reach the damaged bridge because roads and bridge approaches near Balaghata and the Swarna Mandir area remained submerged by floodwater.

He said that once water levels recede, the authorities plan to install a temporary Bailey bridge to restore traffic as quickly as possible. However, he could not provide a timeframe for the full restoration of the damaged bridge or the reopening of the highway.

The collapse has created serious difficulties for residents who rely on the route for work, education, healthcare and the transportation of daily necessities. Local people have urged the authorities to complete emergency repairs without delay and to take long-term measures to strengthen vulnerable infrastructure in hilly regions, where heavy monsoon rainfall and flash floods frequently threaten roads and bridges.

Officials said restoration work would begin immediately after conditions on the ground allow engineering teams to safely access the site and assess the full extent of the structural damage.