(African Press Agency) — A big bridge which collapsed in northern Ethiopia, about 600 kilometers from Addis Ababa, disconnected land transport with the capital, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded. The Ethiopian Transport ministry said on Friday evening that the bridge collapsed due to heavy rain in the area.
According to the ministry, the Garlo Bridge, near the town of Gonder collapsed on Thursday evening, disconnecting the area and the rest of the country.
Gonder is one of Ethiopia’s big towns which is regularly visited by tourists to see the area’s various historical sites and castles. The town has an estimated population of over 500,000 people.
“When the bridge collapsed on Thursday evening, there was at least one vehicle on it, and the fate of its passengers is not yet known,” the ministry said.
The ministry also indicated that hundreds of other transports and public buses were stranded around the bridge.
However, the ministry said that it is working to construct an alternative road to allow the hundreds of vehicles stranded in the area to continue their journey.
Garlo Bridge is one of the main and biggest bridges in Ethiopia, built over 50 years ago. The bridge also connects various small towns in the area.
The rainy season in Ethiopia often results in heavy floods in various parts of the country, sometimes resulting in heavy property damage in various regions of the country.
During the 2006 rainy season, for instance, over 600 people died due to heavy floods in various parts of the country while hundreds of thousands people were displaced from their villages and homes.