BETTIAH, June 10 -- A three-metre stretch of a bridge over the Dhanauti River collapsed, while officials suspect a gap developed in one of the pillars of the Dhanaha Gautam Buddha Setu, which links Bihar and Uttar Pradesh through West Champaran district, officials said. The Dhanauti River bridge is closed to traffic. The affected structures are located in Majhauliya and Bagaha-I blocks of the district. Due to increasing concerns about commuter safety, authorities are assessing the damage and preparing to repair the bridge. Neeraj Kumar, executive engineer for the Rural Works Department (RWD), Bettiah division, reported the incident occurred shortly after a tractor passed over the bridge on the Dhanauti River at Karamawa village under the Lal Saraiya panchayat in Majhauliya block of West Champaran on Monday evening. "A portion of the bridge, measuring about 3-meter, got damaged immediately after the tractor passed over it," Kumar said. After assessing the damage, vehicular movement through the bridge was suspended. The executive engineer noted that the 14-meter-long bridge, built on two brick pillars, is about 35 to 40 years old and served as a lifeline for over a dozen villages in West Champaran's Majhauliya district. Bettiah Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vikash Kumar said, "A diversion has been created to facilitate vehicle movement through the affected stretch and ensure uninterrupted connectivity for commuters." In yet another development, a gap was reportedly noticed between pillars number 30 and 31 of the Dhanaha Gautam Buddha Setu in West Champaran, which links Uttar Pradesh with Bihar via Kushinagar (UP) and West Champaran (Bihar), prompting authorities to constitute a team to assess the situation. "PD (Project Director) BRPNNL (Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited) has inspected the bridge and informed us that it is safe for traffic movement. A team of experts from the department will also visit and conduct an inspection shortly," said Taranjot Singh, district magistrate (DM), West Champaran....