Kyone Eik river crossing bridge
Mizzima
The Kyone Eik river crossing bridge, a crucial bridge on the Yangon to Mawlamyine Highway just outside Bilin Township in Mon State, has been blown up making the highway impassable.
The original concrete bridge had previously been badly damaged and temporarily blocked to traffic by a landmine and drone attack by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) on 29 June 2023.
But, the junta had managed to rebuild it and also put up two pre-fabricated Bailey Bridges next to the repaired original.
At about 2:00 am on 11 May explosions set off by the KNLA destroyed all three of the bridges, according to the KNLA which said it had destroyed the bridges because the junta was transporting reinforcements, weapons, ammunition and rations across the bridge.
The destruction of the bridges led to hundreds of cars and goods trucks to become stranded on the highway.
Vehicles are now trying to use smaller local roads to circumvent the damaged bridges but many are becoming trapped and stranded on these smaller roads.
Following the explosions, junta soldiers started firing small arms in the area of the bridge to prevent defence forces from entering the area.
A junta engineering team then tried to repair the bridge on 13 May, but were prevented from doing so by drone attacks launched by defence forces.
The junta’s Mon State Government spokesperson, Dr. Aung Myat Kyaw Sein, said the bridge would be rebuilt as soon as security was restored in the area.
The Kyone Eik Bridge is on an important transport route linking Mon and Karen States and Tanintharyi Region to the rest of Myanmar. Since the destruction of the bridges commodity prices have been rising and there have been fuel shortages in Mon and Karen States and Tanintharyi Region.
The bridge is also crucial for getting goods to and from the Thai border to Yangon and the rest of Myanmar.
