The Pier Bridge in Nusa Penida Collapsed When 35 Passengers Were Riding Because It Was Unable to Bear the Load

The connecting bridge at the Nusa Penida Port pier collapsed/DOK Public Relations of the Bali Police

DENPASAR - The pier bridge collapsed at Toya Pakeh Harbor, Nusa Penida, last Thursday, December 15. At the time of the incident, there were 35 passengers on the bridge.

The Head of the Bali Province Transportation Service (Dishub) IGW Samsi Gunarta, explained that the incident occurred around 16.45 WITA. The position of the ship's stern at the end of the connecting bridge causes passengers to queue up on the bridge.

"35 passengers were standing on the bridge, so the structure could not support the load. The 16.74 meters long and 1.5-meter-wide bridge broke at a distance of 6 meters from the pier which caused 30 passengers to fall into the sea", said Samsi, as quoted from Antara.

He then conveyed that the pier bridge that collapsed at Toya Pakeh Port, Nusa Penida, was a project that was outside the Sanur-Sampalan-Bias Munjul Triangle Port.

"The Toya Pakeh Port work is a separate work and has nothing to do with the Sanur-Sampalan-Bias Munjul Triangle Port, this port has been operating since 1990 and is an asset of the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation", said Samsi in Denpasar.

The Head of the Bali Transportation Agency also said that the connecting bridge between the main pier and the floating pier of Toya Pakeh Port would be carried out by the Strategic Working Unit of the Directorate General of Sea Transportation in Jakarta in 2022.

"The executor has carried out the PHO and entered the maintenance period. On December 12, socialization and trial utilization were carried out with several required conditions including the need to limit the number of passengers allowed on the connecting bridge at the same time", he said.

The Toya Pakeh wharf work package itself, he said, was carried out in stages, with the initial stages covering the construction of the seaside, and then revitalizing the terminal to adapt it to the Port of Sanur-Sampalan-Bias Munjul.