Rangamati’s famous hanging bridge — often called the “Symbol of Rangamati” — has reemerged after being submerged in the Kaptai Lake for nearly three months due to rising water levels. The lake’s water fully receded from the bridge deck on Thursday morning (October 23), officials said.

An on-site visit saw that workers had begun cleaning and repairing the bridge by noon. The bridge connects visitors to one of the hill district’s most popular tourist attractions. After maintenance and repainting, the bridge will reopen to visitors on Friday.

“We started cleaning this morning after the water finally went down. The bridge will reopen to tourists tomorrow,” said Md Sohel, who manages the ticket counter for the site.

Tourists who visited the area on Thursday expressed surprise to learn that the bridge had been underwater for so long. “We didn’t know it was submerged. Locals told us the water only went down this morning,” one visitor said.

Inspector Md Imam Hossain of the Rangamati Tourist Police Zone said officers are maintaining round-the-clock security as visitors begin returning to the site. “The iconic bridge has finally resurfaced after a long time, and tourists have already started coming,” he said.

Alok Bikash Chakma, manager of the Rangamati Tourism Holiday Complex, confirmed that the bridge had remained submerged for about 85 days since July 30, when the rising waters of Kaptai Lake inundated the structure. “The water level began to drop yesterday, and today the bridge is fully visible. Once the minor repairs and painting are complete, we’ll reopen it to the public,” he said.

Authorities said the bridge had briefly gone underwater in previous years, but this year’s submersion was the longest on record.