The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Due to heavy rainfall in October last year, the main bridge connecting Denchukha Gewog was washed away, leaving the gewog cut off from the rest of the region. To restore connectivity, the Department of Surface Transport constructed a Bailey bridge. However, that bridge was also swept away by recent heavy rains. With road access severed once again, residents were forced to rely on a temporary ropeway to cross the swollen Amochu River.
On Wednesday afternoon, tragedy struck when a teacher, Jigdrel Khandu Wangchuk, a procurement assistant from Denchukha Lower Secondary School, Tandin Zangmo, and a caretaker from the gewog, Bhola Nath Rizal, were swept away while attempting to cross the river using the makeshift ropeway.
The three were returning home for the school term break when the incident occurred. The accident has once again highlighted the risks faced by residents of Denchukha, who have remained without a reliable bridge for months and continue to depend on unsafe temporary crossings during the monsoon season.
It has been learnt that the ropeway that was being used to ferry people had never been approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which is required to approve any such ropeways that transport people, given the various technical and safety requirements.
Ropeway Photo Courtesy: Lhagoen Dung Singye
In fact, the ropeway had not been used for a while, and the decision to use this old ropeway is what may have cost three lives. A source said that it was the Dzongkhag which gave the go-ahead to use the ropeway.
Melam Zangpo, the Dzongda of Samtse, said the ropeway was originally designed and installed by PMS Construction on November 4 last year to transport diesel and other essential supplies across the Amochu River.
He said a 400-metre concrete bridge had previously connected Denchukha Gewog with the rest of the district. However, the bridge was washed away by heavy rainfall in October last year. Construction of a new 420-metre permanent bridge began to replace the damaged structure. At the time of the incident, about 75 percent of the work had been completed. To maintain the supply of fuel and other essential goods while the new bridge was under construction, PMS Construction installed the ropeway as a temporary means of transport.
He said the ropeway was not used only for construction activities. Local residents also relied on it to transport essential goods and to cross the Amochu River themselves. According to him, the ropeway was in use for about three weeks before the Department of Surface Transport (DoST) completed and opened a temporary Bailey bridge on November 27 last year.
He said the temporary Bailey bridge was washed away on June 27 this year after heavy rainfall, once again cutting off access to Denchukha Gewog. He said he visited the site on June 30 to assess the situation.
During the inspection, local Dzongkhag officials found that the ropeway remained intact but required reinforcement before it could be used again.
He added that the ropeway has a maximum load capacity of 200 kilograms. After the necessary reinforcement work was completed, the ropeway was put back into service on July 1 to transport people and essential goods across the Amochu River.
When asked why the ropeway was used, the Dzongda claimed that the local people at the site wanted to use it.
A teacher at Denchukha Lower Secondary School said staff members were informed before using the ropeway that its maximum load capacity was 200 kilograms and were instructed to follow the safety limit. “I am unable to forget that situation and the condition of the river. It looked very scary,” she said. She said the strong current and rising water level had made the crossing extremely dangerous. The tragedy has left teachers and students deeply shaken.
According to her, several students remain at the school because they are unable to return home due to the disruption in connectivity. She added that the incident has taken a heavy emotional toll on the school community, as they continue to cope with the loss of their colleagues and friends. She described the day as one of the most heartbreaking moments of her life, saying she lost her friends in the tragedy.
The Dzongda said search and recovery efforts have been extremely challenging because of the strong current and high water level of the Amochu River. He said teams have been deployed to search along different stretches of the river. The bodies of two victims, Jigdrel Khandu Wangchuk and Tandin Zangmo, have been recovered, while the search for the third victim is continuing.
The Dzongda said forestry officials have also deployed drones to assist in the search. Despite the aerial surveillance and extensive ground operations, the body of Bhola Nath Rizal, the gewog caretaker, had not been found at the time of reporting.
He said additional personnel will join the search operation in the coming days to strengthen the ongoing efforts. Search teams remain hopeful that Bhola Nath Rizal’s body will be recovered despite the difficult terrain and dangerous river conditions.
Meanwhile, the Royal Civil Service Commission said that, separated by a river, the communities of Denchukha and Dorokha were temporarily connected by a ropeway after the temporary bridge was washed away.
As the summer break began, twenty-one teachers, school staff, students, and family members crossed safely to the Dorokha side before the incident.
The RCSC said that Bhola Nath Rizal, caretaker of Denchukha Gewog, had devoted thirteen years of his life to public service. That day, he was making the crossing to Dorokha to bring his daughter home to Denchukha for the summer break.
Jigdrel Khandu Wangchuk had joined the teaching profession in 2017 and spent his entire career at Denchukha Lower Secondary School. For nine years, he taught, guided, and inspired young minds in one of Bhutan’s most remote communities. With the school term over, he too was looking forward to going home to his wife.
Tandin Zangmo joined the service in 2019 as a Procurement Assistant at Denchukha Lower Secondary School. Though her work was often carried out behind the scenes, it helped keep the school running day after day. She was beginning another journey home.
Before they could reach the other side, the ropeway snapped. The RCSC paid tribute to the three.
There are questions from the public about where the accountability will lie for the loss of the three lives.
