Immediate efforts to restore historic Plaka Bridge

Moreover, immediate protection measures for the monument have begun, as has the collection of structural elements fallen for reuse along with new material, as needed, for the restoration of the historic bridge. As soon as the weather subsides and the water level drops, crews will check the condition of the foundations of the piers, and assess the causes of the fall.

The mobilization of the Ministry services, the overall government, and the prime minister himself was immediate in oder to address the problem.

More specifically, on Monday morning Ministry engineers rushed to the border between Arta and Ioannina prefectures, in the settlement of Plaka where the historic bridge connected the banks of the River Arachthos and conducted an autopsy and photographic documentation.

The eastern abutment and the large central arch fell and there was partial destruction of the west abutment.

The historic Bridge of Plaka, in Tzoumerka, northwestern Greece, on Sunday collapsed as a result of the torrential rain in the area.

The bridge which was constructed in the 18th century is the largest single span arch bridge in the Balkans.