One dead as British-era bridge collapses in Charsadda

SHABQADAR: At least one person was killed and two others were injured when British-era Sardaryab Gul Abad Bridge collapsed on Friday night owing to heavy traffic.

The historic bridge was constructed by Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction Company Calcutta in 1937 to connect Peshawar with Mardan.

While confirming the incident, District Administration Charsadda told The Express Tribune that the event took place when a truck, carrying 1600 cement bags weighing 80 tons, tried to cross the bridge. Charsadda city police station official Wilayat Khan said the truck reached the bridge at three in the morning when the sheer weight of it it forced the bridge to collapse into River Kabul. This resulted in the death of the driver and caused injuries to two helpers travelling on the truck.



The deceased and injured were immediately shifted to the DHQ Charsadda Hospital. Meanwhile, the traffic has been diverted to the new bridge constructed parallel to the Sardaryab Gul Abad Bridge a few years back.

Sardaryab Gul Abad Bridge was one of the many flyovers built with steel during the colonial times to connect Peshawar with other main cities of the then North West Frontier Province (NWFP).



Besides, similar bridges were constructed in Naguman Peshawar, Hajizai Charsada and Michni Mohmand Agency to connect Peshawar city with Charsadda, Mardan, Mohmand and Malakand agencies on River Kabul for a military expedition against a famous Pukhtoon uprising in 1897 against the British rule.