Hussaini Suspension Bridge

Hussaini Suspension Bridge (Urdu: حسینی سسپنشن پل) is a pedestrian hanging bridge over the Hunza River in Gilgit Baltistan's Karakoram range. It was originally built for local access but has become a popular tourist attraction due to its striking structure and dramatic location.^[2][3][4]

Hussaini Suspension Bridge
A view of the bridge with the peaks of Passu Cones partially covered by miniature clouds in the background c. 2016
Coordinates	36°25′25.7″N 74°52′57.1″E
Carries	Pedestrians
Crosses	Hunza River
Locale	Gojal Tehsil, Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Official name	Hussaini Suspension Bridge
Other name(s)	Hussaini Hanging Bridge
Named for	Hussaini Village
Characteristics
Design	Simple suspension bridge
Material	Wooden boards
Trough construction	Ropes
Total length	635 feet (194 m)[1]
History
Engineering design by	Traditional method
Rebuilt	Yes
Statistics
Daily traffic	Pedestrians (in limited numbers at a time)
Toll	Yes
Location

Description

The bridge is situated in the Gojal area of Hunza District, at a distance of some 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the town of Aliabad and 132 kilometres (82 mi) away in the northeast of Gilgit, the capital city of Gilgit-Baltistan region.^[5] Reachable through a path from the Karakoram Highway,^[2] the bridge provides a passageway between the Hussaini and Zarabod villages of the Upper Hunza over the Hunza River. A bridge at the site was originally built around 1968. Followed by the devastation from the 2010 Attabad landslide, the bridge was reconstructed later.^[5][6] The 635 ft (194 m) long suspended structure consists of rectangular wooden planks held utilizing six main ropes that support the entire length. Kept between the consecutive wooden planks of the bridge are the larger spaces which are intended to resist the wobbly vibrations in the whole structure when driven by the wind.^[7] In 2013, the American travel magazine, Condé Nast Traveler listed the bridge among the dangerous cross bridges in the world.^[4]

A closer look to the bridge

In order to visit and cross the bridge, tourists have to follow some necessary precautions such as the use of life jackets.^[1]

Incident

In July 2022, a student from Sindh, reportedly died of drowning in the Hunza River after falling from the bridge. His body was found from the river near Gulmit after a 2-3 hour search operation done by the local authorities with the rescue team. The tehsil assistant commissioner of Gojal claimed that the deceased was an epilepsy patient and might have fallen off the bridge from the outcome of a seizure. Consequently, the bridge was sealed off for some days till the complete investigations of the case.^[1][7]