Moments the Merah Putih Bridge in Pangandaran Collapsed as Regent Passed Over

The Merah Putih Bridge, constructed by KODIM 0625 and YON TP Pangandaran, collapsed during its inauguration on Sunday (30/8).

The Pongpet suspension bridge, located in Margacinta Village, Cijulang District, Pangandaran Regency, gave way while the Regent of Pangandaran, Citra Pitriyami, alongside the District Military Commander (Dandim) and several officials, were officiating the bridge’s opening.

The Regent of Pangandaran, Citra Pitriyami, along with the Dandim 0625 Pangandaran and other officials, were seen on the bridge when the structure suddenly sustained damage, causing several people on board to fall.

Fortunately, the entire group escaped the incident without injury.

The Head of the Indonesian Army Public Relations (Kadispenad), Brigadier General Donny Pramono, stated that the bridge experienced a shift in position. He noted that the situation occurred after more than 50 people crossed simultaneously, exceeding the specified capacity, which caused the sling cable on the left side of the bridge to detach from the main fastener, causing the bridge to tilt.

“As reported by several media outlets, the condition has been described as the bridge collapsing. To clarify this information, the situation was not a total collapse of the entire bridge structure,” Donny said in a written statement on Monday (31/8).

He explained that the main structure of the bridge remained in place, while the issue was specifically limited to the left-side sling cable detaching from the main fastening system.