A portion of a Bailey bridge on Pankhali canal in Galachipa upazila collapsed on Sunday after only a few months of its renovation, causing sufferings to people of several villages.

Some wooden sleepers of the bridge set on an iron structure suddenly broke down when about 40 students of nearby institutions were crossing it on Sunday noon, said Nesar Uddin, a teacher of Pankhali Government Primary School.

At least 10 students sustained minor injuries in the incident, Nesarsaid.

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) repaired the bridge at a

cost of Tk 1.79 lakh in November last year after it became unfit for use.

About 1,500 people, especially a good number of school goers, of Uttar Pankhali, Dakkhin Pankhali, Kalaraja and Haridebpur villages cross the bridge everyday.

The bridge collapsed within five months of its repair as low quality materials were used during the work, said Abul Kalam, headmaster of Pankhali High School.

LGED Upazila Engineer Atiqur Rahman said they would take necessary steps to repair the bridge immediately, adding that they will investigate if there was any negligence in the previous repair work.