Two portions of U Bein Bridge, one of the tourist attractions in Myanmar, situated in Amarapura Township, Mandalay Region, collapsed yesterday afternoon.

On Full Moon Day of Thadingyut, there were a lot of holidaymakers onU Bein Bridge. So, the bridge collapsed due to overload, and some visitors fell into the lake.

“A total of 15 men and 8 women fell into the lake. No one was injured during the bridge collapse. So, they returned home by themselves,” said one of the volunteers who helped in the bridge collapse.

After the bridge collapse, local fire brigade members and social organizations carried out rescue activities. They said some were injured.

U Bein Bridge spans the Taungthaman Lake near Amarapura. The 1.2-kilometre (0.75 mile) bridge was built around 1,211 Myanmar era by Maung Bein who was a clerk of the Amarapura mayor at the time of King Bagan. It is used as an important passageway for the local people and has also become a tourist attraction.

The bridge was built in curved shape in the middle to resist the assault of wind and water. The main teak posts were hammered into the lake bed seven feet deep. The other ends of the posts were shaped conically to ensure that rain water would flow down easily. The joints of the bridge are intertwined. 

Originally, there were 984 teak posts supporting the bridge and two approach brick bridges. Later the two approach brick bridges were replaced by wooden approach bridge. There are four wooden pavilions at the same interval along the bridge. By adding posts of two approach bridges and four pavilions, the number of posts amounts to 1089.