Nzi River Bridge collapse

On 6 September 2016, the railway bridge over the Nzi River collapsed, cutting the rail link between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

On 6 September 2016, one of the approach spans collapsed while a two-engined goods train was attempting to leave the bridge in the direction of Burkina Faso.

In addition to interrupting railway traffic, the accident destroyed the pedestrian connection for local residents, who started to use small boats to ferry goods and people across the river.

[1] One local source suggested that the bridge had been destabilised when the arm of a bulldozer hit it, and that this may have caused the accident.

Partial services on the line resumed on 10 September, with container goods being transported by a combination of rail and lorry.