2026-05-23T12:31:53+00:00
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Shafaq News- Diyala
Authorities in Iraq’s Diyala province recorded a serious
structural collapse near Hamrin Bridge, the country’s longest bridge, after
rising water levels in Lake Hamrin caused by heavy rainfall, a government
source told Shafaq News on Saturday.
A delegation from the provincial council and the province’s
Roads and Bridges Directorate conducted a field inspection to assess the
condition of the structure. “According to the source, the delegation recommended
temporarily closing the site again and filling the collapsed sections near its
approaches. However, Diyala’s Roads and Bridges Directorate is facing a lack of
financial allocations needed to carry out repairs and continue other
infrastructure projects in the province amid Iraq’s ongoing financial crisis.”
While the collapse did not damage the concrete supports or
structural blocks of the bridge itself, the source warned that it poses a
serious risk to motorists. The bridge had been temporarily opened to traffic
before its official completion and handover by the contracting company.
Located northeast of Diyala, Hamrin Bridge stretches more
than seven kilometers, including its approaches, making it the longest bridge
in Iraq. The project cost exceeds 60 billion Iraqi dinars($39.06M).
Local authorities reopened the new crossing to traffic more
than a month ago before construction was fully completed after waves from the
lake damaged the old bridge.
In March, Muhannad Al-Maamouri, head of Diyala’s Water
Resources Directorate, told Shafaq News that floodwaters and rainfall increased
inflows into Lake Hamrin to around 2,000 cubic meters per second, raising the
reservoir to between 70% and 80% of its 2.5 billion cubic meter capacity.