A Bailey bridge over the Senua river on Thakurgaon-Raniganj road collapsed in Sadar upazila on Friday, causing immense sufferings to thousands of people.

Road communication between five unions in the upazila and the district headquarters remains snapped due to collapse of the bridge.

The unions are Salondar, Akcha, Rajagaon, Baragaon and Debipur.

The 76-metre-long Bailey bridge at Barunagaon village broke when a coal-laden truck was crossing it around 6:30pm on Friday. A pedestrian, Ainul Haque, 65, was injured during the incident, said locals.

All modes of transport on Thakurgaon-Raniganj road have stopped operation since the collapse.

A large number of people, who used the bridge, were seen crossing the point using a makeshift bridge made of wood and bamboo yesterday morning, undergoing immense sufferings.

Mosharul Islam, chairman of Rajagaon Union Parishad, said over 80,000 people of five unions in Sadar upazila use the road regularly as it is the main link road with the district headquarters.

Vegetable farmers are the worst sufferers as they are facing problems to send their produces to different parts of the country during the peak season, said the villagers.

Thakurgaon LGED Executive Engineer Kanteshwar Barman said they wrote to the higher authorities about a year ago for building a concrete bridge there.

"We will set up a 35-metre long and 3-metre wide wooden bridge there within the next two days to ease people's sufferings," he said.