IMPHAL : Suspected militants blew up a bailey bridge over the Namban river in Manipur’s Kamjong district using explosives, officials said on Wednesday.

The incident took place between Phange and Chatric villages in Naga-majority Kamjong district in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 130 ft bailey bridge was constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), and served as a vital road link connecting several villages, including Chatric and neighbouring villages, with the district headquarters.

The attackers also set ablaze a pick-up vehicle parked on the bank of the Namban Lok River.

Preliminary investigations indicate that explosives were used to destroy the bridge, they said.

Meanwhile, Tangkhul Naga body, Tangkhul Naga Long, in a statement said, “In the early hours of Wednesday, the 130-foot span bailey bridge constructed under PMGSY in the year 2016 collapsed at the midpoint caused by the impact of heavy bomb blast and had consequently cut off the key connectivity between Kamjong District headquarters and Sahamphung Sub-Divisional headquarters.” (Source: PTI)