A wooden bridge linking Ikot Obong Akan in OrukAnam Local Government Area and Ikot Akpabong in Mkpat Enin Council Area of the state have collapsed, disconnecting the two council areas and other neighbouring communities.

Speaking with Daily Sun in the area, a youth leader, Etimbuk Udoh, said the collapsed bridge has cut off economic links between the two neighbouring local government areas and disrupted transportation, farming and commercial activities for traders and residents, who depend on Etim Market, popularly known as Urua Akpudo for their livelihood.

Udoh said the bridge was constructed through community efforts using woods to help market women and other road users cross the river for various economic engagements

“Now that the bridge has collapsed, the two local government areas have been cut off. We would depend on local boats to cross the river, which may not be safe for local transportation,” Udoh said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of OrukAnam Local Government Area, Sunday Festus and the lawmaker representing OrukAnam state constituency, Sampson Bernard Idiong, during their visit to the scene of the collapsed bridge, assured residents of state government’s intervention.

The council chairman and the lawmaker, who were paddled in a local canoe across the river assured residents that their concerns would be tendered before the appropriate authorities for urgent action.

Idiong, while addressing community leaders and residents at the palace of the village head, Chief Friday Akpan, said it was necessary to visit the community without delay in order to witness the situation and have a proper understanding of the challenges facing the people.

“We would immediately engage the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that the matter receives the urgent attention that it deserves,” he said. (The Sun)