BREAKING: Harbour Bridge to reopen before 7 tonight

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be reopened this evening between 18:00 hrs to 18: 30 hrs, two days after it was closed following a major collision with a fuel vessel.

This is according to an advisory from the government.

The reopening of the bridge is expected to only accommodate light vehicles, such as cars.

The Minister of Public Words, Juan Edghill, is expected to provide a briefing at the opening.

The closure of the bridge affected thousands and the authorities has been working around the clock to get it up and running.

The Harbour Bridge suffered the worst damage ever after a Panamanian vessel, the MV Tradewind Passion, collided with it at about 02:00hrs on Saturday.

Four spans – 8, 9, 10 and 11 – are broken and Span 9 was shifted at about 45 degrees.

The government suspended the license of the pilot of the vessel, a Guyanese national, who has been working for decades to transport vessels through the Demerara River. His license is likely to be permanently suspended.

Based on preliminary investigations, GPS tracking found that the vessel did not follow the designated route through the river.

Andy Duke, the Ship Supervisor for the Harbour Bridge, suffered a fractured leg following the collision. Duke reportedly warned the pilot moments before the collision.

A Board of Inquiry has since been set up to investigate the incident.