Bridge collapse chaos
TENS of thousands of Bank Holiday travellers were caught up in traffic chaos after a bridge collapsed on one of Britain’s busiest motorways.
Families were stuck in massive tailbacks yesterday after a footbridge was hit by a lorry before it fell on to the M20 between junctions three and four in Kent.
A motorcyclist in his 50s was treated in hospital for broken ribs. A passing lorry was crushed under the collapsed bridge.
The M20 is the main route to the Channel Tunnel and the Dover ferry terminal. The road is set to remain closed today causing further chaos for holidaymakers.
It is believed the crane arm of a digger being carried on the back of a lorry smashed into the concrete section of the bridge.
The collapse happened just after midday on one of the busiest travelling days of the year, with an estimated 10 million motorists taking to the roads.
The motorway was closed in both directions as parts of the bridge remained hanging above the carriageway. Sections of the nearby M26 were also closed.
It is thought the bridge was undergoing repairs at the time it collapsed.
Eyewitness Kalpana Fitzpatrick said: “What we can see is two trucks squashed by this bridge and emergency services are at the scene.
“The side I’m on, the bridge is still hanging, and obviously the traffic has been stopped. It’s quite shocking.”
Alex Magaisa was with his wife and two young sons on their way to Gatwick Airport to catch a flight to Belfast. He said: “My instinct was just to drive through. My wife saw the bridge falling and there was a big noise. I had to manoeuvre through the debris.
“We stopped afterwards for about 30 minutes, and there was another car with a family behind us. Luckily no one seemed to have been hurt.
“It was a big shock. It’s only just starting to sink in now what might have happened. We were right in the line of fire and we could have been crushed.”
Eyewitness Andy Sunnucks, 24, who was travelling from Maidstone to Sevenoaks, said: “We are about 15 cars back on the same carriageway as the collision.
“We were driving on the road and came to a standstill. People were getting out of their cars and running towards the bridge. All I could see was the wreckage.
“It looked like a lorry had jack-knifed, and I could see half the bridge was missing. We went to have a look and the back end of the lorry was in pieces.
“The motorcyclist was laying down underneath his bike.”
A Kent Police spokesman said: “It is believed a lorry collided with a pedestrian bridge which has collapsed on to the carriageway below.
“Police are treating this as a major incident and the M20 has been closed in both directions to allow this incident to be dealt with. Traffic will be heavier than usual.”