The footbridge in Nymburk fell into the Elbe after an hour of demolition work

Demolition work began today shortly after 8:30 AM. Just a few minutes before the bridge fell into the river, the site manager conducted an initial survey of the supporting cables. According to him, the cables are severely weakened by corrosion, which subsequently manifested in the fall of the structure into the water.

"If it had been healthy, we would have needed to cut 60 percent of the cables in that spot to cause a collapse. And it was enough to cut 25 (percent), and moreover, it was in a place where it was not expected to be significantly affected. So this indicates that the condition was really serious, and it was appropriate not to take risks and really not allow anyone there after what was discovered during the inspection of the bridge in Troja," said Deputy Mayor Jan Ritter (Nymburk Democrats) to ČTK.

The demolition is expected to be definitively completed by August 12, including the removal of debris. The tender was won by the company Strabag with a price offer of 6.5 million crowns. The city closed the bridge due to its poor condition last December; in June, the navigation authority immediately halted boat traffic on the Elbe below the bridge, and the city also closed the area on both banks.