Earthquake Memorial Bridge

Cable-stayed bridge built as a memorial to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake

The Earthquake Memorial Bridge spans the Jhelum River in southern Muzaffarabad, a 474-meter cable-stayed structure built to replace infrastructure destroyed in the catastrophic 2005 earthquake. It is also known as the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Bridge.

The bridge is an impressive piece of engineering in a difficult mountain environment. Beyond its practical function, it serves as a reminder of the earthquake that reshaped this city — and killed tens of thousands across the region. The surrounding valley gives a sense of the scale of what was lost and what was rebuilt in the years following the disaster.

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A story
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake struck on 8 October, killing an estimated 73,000–87,000 people — making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in recorded history. Muzaffarabad, as the closest major city to the epicenter, suffered catastrophic damage. The memorial bridge was built partly as practical infrastructure and partly to commemorate the scale of the disaster and the rebuilding that followed.