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KOCAELI, Turkey — Turkish authorities have been left scratching their heads after thieves recently made off with an entire 22-ton bridge, apparently to sell as scrap metal.
The bridge, which was 82-feet long, was used by villagers in the Gölçük district, according to Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman. The villagers discovered the theft March 11 when they tried to cross the creek to reach their orchards.
"Now we have to take our socks off and cross the creek," villager Mustafa Karakaş told the paper.
Authorities said the bridge had been cut to pieces and loaded onto a truck, apparently to be sold for scrap metal. The estimated worth of the bridge is $11,000.
Multiple bridges have been reported as stolen in recent years. In April 2012, thieves in the Czech Republic got away with a 10-ton bridge after telling officials at the railroad depot they had been hired to demolish the bridge, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Now we have to take our socks off and cross the creek.
–Mustafa Karaka
"The thieves said they had been hired to demolish the bridge, and remove the unwanted railway track to make way for a new cycle route," railroad spokesman Pavel Halla said at the time. "It was only after they had gone that checks were made and we realized we'd been had. The cost of replacing the bridge will run into millions."
In Oct. 2011, a 50-foot steel bridge was stolen in Lawrence County, Penn. Police suspected someone had used a torch to tear apart the bridge, which was worth about $100,000, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Photo credit: İHA, Uğur Ulu
