Criminal Case Opened After Bridge Collapse in Oskemen

City residents had warned authorities about the threat back in the summer, when fallen trees began to accumulate under the bridge, Orda.kz reports.

In Oskemen, a criminal case has been opened under the article “Unscrupulous Construction” following the collapse of the Shnaider Bridge. The prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation.

On September 1, the 16-meter bridge collapsed into the Ulba River. The crossing was originally built in 1941 and had collapsed several times over the decades.

The most recent repair was completed just a year ago at a cost of more than 600 million tenge. The work was overseen by the then Akim of the city, Zhaksylyk Omar. After the latest accident, current Akim, Almat Akyshov, ordered inspections of all bridges in the regional center.

Experts must now decide whether to restore the old bridge or build a new one, though high water levels are complicating the survey.

Local residents insist they had warned authorities and emergency services about the threat back in the summer, pointing to fallen trees accumulating under the bridge. Experts also suggest that the collapse may have been caused by subsidence of the riverbed and years of poor maintenance.

When intensive construction was underway in the city, inert material was taken from the Ulba riverbed. Between 1949 and 1980, the riverbed subsided by 1.47 meters. The bridge collapsed after years of poor maintenance. Later, the banks eroded, debris built up, and the support lost stability. A similar example in our city was when the Ulba Bridge burst, said local resident Viktor Nedovyesov.

According to the Kazakhstan Road Research Institute, about 3,500 bridges are currently in operation nationwide, and a significant portion of them are nearing the end of their service life.

Original Author: Yelena Medvedeva