From: The Living Islands Project THE LANCE MITAN SUSPENSION BRIDGE Trinidad

NEWSPAPER STORIES

TRINIDAD GUARDIAN ©
Pg 3; Tuesday 24th February 1998
National News - Not credited

Nine escape as bridge collapses

  NINE persons narrowly escaped drowning when a spring bridge at La Ruffin, Moruga, collapsed while a van was crossing the river.

  Moruga police confirmed that on Sunday around 5 pm nine persons, six adults and three children, had to be rescued by fishermen when the cable supporting the bridge gave way and the bridge sank into the river. One eyewitness said: "While the van was crossing the bridge started to vibrate, then I heard a loud noise like a bang and the van and the bridge went into the river."

  Up to press time vehicles on the southern side of the river bank were being transported by boats. Officials from the Princes Town Regional Corporation visited the scene yesterday to make arrangements to accelerate repairs to the bridge.

  The La Ruffin spring bridge is over 100 years old. It is the main access from Moruga to the La Ruffin Beach.

EXPRESS ©
Pg 6; Thursday 26th February 1998
by PHOOLO DANNY
South/Central Bureau

Six saved from watery death

Bravery award for two rescuers

  PROPOSALS are to be made to a regional corporation to present awards for bravery to two men who rescued a number of people from drowning after their van plunged into a river when a condemned spring bridge in Moruga collapsed.

  The men who figured prominently in the rescue are fishermen Nigel Duntin, 31, and Terry Nandlal, both of Moruga.

  Councillor Godfrey Lee Sing said the proposals for rewarding the men would be made after a meeting of villagers and then put to the Princes Town Regional Corporation. He said this would be done before the end of the week.

  Duntin and Nandlal dived into the La Retraite River and pulled all six people who fell in with the van to safety.

  The pick-up, which was driven by Harripersad Ouarah of Brothers Road near Princes Town, was halfway across the 99-yearold bridge when its cables snapped.

  The family of six, including two children, were on their way to the La Retraite beach when the incident happened around 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Duntin, Nandlal and other fishermen were "liming" nearby when they saw the vehicle plunge into the river, which they described as "fairly deep".

  Duntin said the screams awoke the sleepy village.

  "We were just liming, when the cable snapped and the bridge started gliding into the river. We did not panic, we just dived in and got the people out."

  He added: "It was nothing. That could have happened to my family."Susan Sookraj, 31, a relative of Ougrah, was "slightly" bruised by a falling plank from the bridge. She had hopped out of the van and was following it across the bridge when the incident took place.

  Apart from being shaken, no one was hurt. The van was towed out of the river by a boat.

  Seven cars, whose occupants were stranded on the beach when the bridge collapsed, were ferried across the river on makeshift rafts late Monday.

  On Tuesday La Retraite, which residents described as being to Moruga what Maracas Beach is to Port of Spain, was almost deserted. The bridge provided the only vehicular access to the beach.

  The only other route is on foot across the La Ruffin River at low tide. But that can be dangerous. A year ago two people drowned when the tide came in suddenly.

  Lee Sing said every effort would be made to have the La Retraite bridge restored "as soon as possible".

  Duntin said: "The authorities always keep promising to fix the bridge, but nothing is ever done. We in Moruga are truly forgotten".

NEWSDAY ©
Pg 6; Thursday 26th February 1998
by MIKEY MAHABIR

Engineers’ report awaited on collapsed spring bridge

  THE PRINCES Town Regional Corporation (PTRC) which is responsible for the building and maintenance of the springbridge at La Traite, Moruga, is at the moment trying to see how they could get residents and other commuters from one side of the village to the other, following the collapse of the bridge last Sunday.

  An official of the Corporation said yesterday that ferrying is one option at the moment but they are seeking to have a detour which will be about eight miles from the area on to Edward Trace, while they are looking to upgrade the particular road.

  He said the Corporation was working towards replacing the bridge, but could not say the type of bridge to be constructed since that would depend on the recommendations from the engineers who will be assisting in the design.

  Asked how much it would cost to build a bridge over the river, the official said it could cost between $3 and $4 million.

  A check revealed that only about $2 million is allocated for the annual development programme of the Corporation, therefore, "special funding" will have to be made available for the construction of the bridge. The Corporation will continue to pursue the matter, he said.

  The bridge collapsed when a pick-up van was driving over it. The vehicle plunged into the river but the occupants escaped unhurt. The suspended bridge is said to be about 100 years old.

  Chairman of the PTRC Mohammed Haniff said that his technical officers have already visited the scene and he was now awaiting a "full report" from them.

  A report from the area said that fishermen, hunters and persons working on the cocoa plantations, are using boats as a means of transport, and that was nothing new to them since they had been doing so, even before the bridge collapsed.

NEWSDAY ©
Pg 18; Thursday 26th February 1998
Not credited

$1M to repair collapsed La Traite bridge

  THE COLLAPSE of the 100-year-old La Traite suspension Bridge, Moruga, on Sunday, is now engaging the serious attention of the Princes Town Regional Corporation, according to Chairman Mohammed Haniff.

  Following the incident, the Chairman despatched his technical officers to the scene on Monday morning and he is now awaiting a full report before making any pronouncements on the matter. He could not even say, at the moment, what it would cost to replace the bridge with a new structure or even one similar in nature, until he receives the report.

  It was spring bridge which was in use over the years. When it collapsed a van (pick-up) was being driven on it at the time. No one was seriously hurt although the vehicle plunged into the river, according to a report from the area.

  But a source close to the Corporation said that a new bridge cou1d cost close to $1 million. The La Traite bridge is situated about quarter of a mile from the Moruga beach. The Moruga river which runs below is used by fishermen, hunters and estate owners who travel by boat to get from one point to another.

  But most important, according to Chairman Haniff, the Princes Town Regional Corporation under whose jurisdiction the bridge falls, had posted up a warning sign which said no vehicular traffic was allowed over the bridge.

  It is understood that the sign went up about one year ago and remained there while the Corporation was trying to get funds to effect the necessary repairs to the bridge. According to Vice Chairman of the Corporation Manick Bissoon, they were hoping to have the bridge repaired in time for the celebration in August this year of the 500th year of the discovery of Trinidad by Christopher Columbus. It was learnt that the Corporation, to date, has not been able to source the funds for the purpose.

  It was also learnt on Tuesday that some persons, who preferred to get away from the "hustle and bustle" of the Carnival, went out hunting over the weekend. Now that the bridge has collapsed, those persons will have to return by boat which is a normal thing, said villagers.

  As for fishermen, they too, will continue travelling by boat to get across from the sea to the area where they store their boat. Only a few families are living east of the bridge.

The Living Islands Project © 1998: tobagojo@gmail.com - 980308 Last Update: 30 April 1998 00:00:00 Processed by: Jeremy G de Barry

 

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