Bumpeh Ngao Tabe Bridge Emergency Halts
Movements of vehicles and residents across the bridge have been halted due to its present condition.
The Bumpe Ngao, Tabe Bridge in Bo district has been left in a bad condition after one of its pillars broke down due to continuous heavy rains on Wednesday the 1 September, this year.
Movements of vehicles and residents across the bridge have been halted due to its present condition. A large truck and its driver were left stranded after the Tabe Bridge split apart.
As it stands, there is no way for vehicles to move to and fro across the bridge, residents said. It has become very slippery and life-threatening.
Speaking to this medium in an online interview, a resident of Bumpeh village, Mohamed Lamin Tarawally confirmed that the Tabe is currently in a bad shape, explaining that it was a large truck coming from Bo City towards the Bumpeh Ngao when one of its pillars got a break. Tarawally further explained that they have been raising concerns over the bad condition of the Tabe Bridge over the years.
He said before its break stage, pedestrians and vehicle owners have been complaining to the Sierra Leone Road Authorities to address the bad condition of the Tabe Bridge. He added that, before its halt, it causes some heavy sounds whenever vehicles, especially trucks, were passing.
Mohamed Lamin Tarawally called on authorities to quickly intervene to address the situation. He said as it is now, no vehicular movement from and to the Bumpeh Ngao Bridge and to other surrounding villages in that part of the country.Â
Speaking on any death fatalities, he informed that to his knowledge, at the time of the collapse of the Tabe Bridge there was no report of death. He disclosed that for the past two-day, residents in that part of the country have now been left stranded. He, therefore, pleaded with the government especially, the SLRA, to quickly intervene.
In their response to a press release dated Thursday, September 1, 2022, the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) informed the general public that the Bumpeh Bridge, along the Tikonko Junction-Mattru Jong Road, was currently out of use as a result of an accident caused by a long-bed trailer transporting a heavy duty machine across the bridge from Bo to Mattru.
The press release further that the SLRA, in collaboration with the Engineering regiment of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), was currently engaged in the following emergency responses: mobilizing personnel and equipment at the site of the accident to remove the trailer that is stuck in the bridge as soon as possible, in any case not later than Friday, September 2, 2022.
By Mohamed Amara Gando
