Manipur Blast Damages Bridge, Stranding More Than 150 Trucks Transporting Essential Goods

On Wednesday, a strong IED explosion on the NH 2 in Manipur destroyed a major bridge, trapping more than 150 trucks transporting necessities to the state capital Imphal in Senapati district. According to an official, at roughly 12.45 am, a potent IED explosion in the Kangpokpi area destroyed the bridge connecting Koubru Leikha and Saparmeina. The miscreants responsible have yet to be discovered.

The explosion in the state beset by ethnic strife left three holes in the center of the bridge, but no injuries were recorded. Heavy vehicle traffic between Saparmeina and Koubru Leikha along NH 2 has been halted by the Manipur government “with immediate effect to avoid any untoward incidents.”

“Light unloaded and light passenger vehicles may pass through strict regulation for the moment,” the Kangpokpi District Magistrate’s decision states. It said that the traffic would be controlled by the Kangpokpi superintendent of police until a different route was discovered. The explosion left more than 150 trucks stranded. On NH-2, the trucks were transporting necessities, according to an official.

The state’s main lifeblood, the highway links Nagaland’s Dimapur with landlocked Manipur’s capital, Imphal. He claimed that security officers have blocked off the bridge and that an inquiry into the IED explosion has been launched.

Hours after gunfights broke out between village volunteers of the two warring villages in the Imphal West district, there was an explosion of an IED. Since May of last year, ethnic violence in Manipur between the Meiteis, who live in the Imphal Valley, and the Kukis, who live in the surrounding hills, has resulted in over 200 deaths and thousands of displaced people.