How much damage did yesterday’s Padma Bridge crash cause, and what will repairs cost?

A bus crash at the Mawa end of the Padma Bridge in Louhajanj of Munshiganj damaged around 50 metres of the railing on the eastern side of the bridge. Repairs to the damaged section could take six to seven days.

Padma Bridge Executive Engineer Abu Sayad shared this information with Prothom Alo.

He said that during Monday’s accident, the bus struck the railings on both the eastern and western sides of the bridge. The western side sustained little damage, but approximately 50 metres of the upper section of the barrier on the eastern side was damaged.

The road surface also sustained some minor marks, although the damage was not serious. Repairing the damaged sections could cost between Tk 150,000 and Tk 200,000, he said.

The executive engineer said the passengers and the bridge’s infrastructure had been spared a more serious accident.

At around 1:15 pm on Monday, a passenger bus operated by New Green Line Express was travelling from Magura to Dhaka. As it was descending towards the Mawa end after crossing the Padma Bridge, the driver lost control. The bus then struck the railings on both sides of the bridge with considerable force, damaging sections of the barriers. The front of the bus was also damaged.

CCTV footage of the accident shows the bus reaching the Mawa end at around 1:15 pm. As it descended, the driver attempted to overtake another bus. The vehicle was travelling at excessive speed at the time. It subsequently went out of control, veering first to the right and then to the left.

At one point, it began sliding lengthways down the slope before crashing heavily into the railings on both sides of the bridge. Several sections of the railings can be seen collapsing in the footage. The bus then overturned.

The Sreenagar Fire Service Station received the accident report at around 1:37 pm. Two rescue teams from the Fire Service went to the scene and rescued eight injured passengers from the bus. They were subsequently taken by Fire Service ambulances to Sreenagar Upazila Health Complex.

Traffic on the bridge was halted for eight to 10 minutes following the accident. It then resumed using one side of the bridge. With the assistance of the Fire Service, patrol vehicles operated by the bridge authorities and a recovery vehicle, the bus was removed at around 2:30 pm. Traffic subsequently returned to normal, according to enquiries.

Sources associated with the bridge said the bus involved with the accident is currently at Padma North police station. Two patrol teams equipped with vehicles are responsible for security on the Padma Bridge, with three members in each team. They monitor the bridge and, in the event of a problem involving a vehicle or passenger, provide basic vehicle repairs and first aid to passengers.

Executive Engineer Abu Sayad said the bus had been handed over to the police station and that legal action had been recommended.

He said the entire bridge is monitored by 16 artificial-intelligence-enabled cameras installed at intervals of approximately 400 metres. The maximum speed limit on the bridge is 80 kilometres per hour, and billboards displaying the limit have been installed at various points. However, many drivers do not comply with the requirement.

At the time of the accident, vehicles travelling on the bridge were reportedly travelling at speeds of between 120 and 130 kilometres per hour.