120-year-old bridge collapses

PALAKKAD: The 120-year-old Cochin Bridge which connected Shoranur Municipality in Palakkad district with Vallathol Nagar panchayat in Thrissur district collapsed around 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday. No casualties have been reported. The traffic has been banned through the bridge since 2003 owing to its weak condition. The Cochin Bridge across the Bharathapuzha river was built to connect the erstwhile Cochin state with Malabar of Madras State. It was both a rail as well as road link through which much of the trade took place. Around 88 years ago, the bridge had partially collapsed. It was repaired and the traffic was restored. On noticing the weak bridge, a new bridge was built and commissioned east of this bridge four years ago. The traffic on the old bridge was banned and the entrance was barricaded.The Cochin Bridge was one of the famous landmarks of the Valluvanad area and it was a prominent location in old Malayalam movies.