While going to rescue a launch that capsized in the Buriganga River on Monday morning, a salvage ship caused an accident by hitting the First Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, locally known as Postokhola Bridge, on the outskirts of the city in the afternoon.
Traffic movement along the bridge has been totally suspended since 10pm until further notice, Roads and Highways Department (RHD) Dhaka Zone Additional Chief Engineer Mohammad Sabuj Uddin Khan told the FE Online on Monday night.
Traffic movement from there has diverted to another bridge at Babubazar as heavy presence of heavy vehicles along the Postokhola Bridge damaged is posing a risk, he said.
Earlier, RHD officials said soon after the accident occurred around 2:30pm, a team of them from the Dhaka zonal office rushed to the spot and restricted traffic movement to avert further damage to the bridge.
At that time, traffic movement along the bridge was suspended on two lanes of the four-lane bridge that suffered damage to its one side, they added.
In the morning of the same day, a launch capsized in the river after being hit by another launch. A total of 32 bodies were recovered until filing of this report.
The rescue ship that has hit the Postokhola bridge was bound for Farashganj from Narayanganj, but could not reach the spot as the height of the ship did not permit it to cross the bridge, built in 1989.
The bridge connects the Dhaka-Narayanganj road with the south and south western districts through the Dhaka-Mawa road.