Fact Check: Yes, Choluteca bridge withstood Hurricane Mitch in 1998

Hyderabad: An image of a bridge is going viral on social media, claiming that it is a perfect metaphor for disruption. The image shared shows a bridge, but the river is not flowing under it. The river is flowing to one side of the bridge.

This image was also shared on Twitter with the caption 'Choluteca bridge at Hondarus built in 1996 but in 1998 due to a strong hurricane all the roads leading to bridge were damaged and even river changed its course. Similar is our life when we work out a problem, the new one emerges.'

Several others have shared the same image stating 'Have you heard about Choluteca bridge? Thought-provoking 'Build to adapt' as a new mantra is the new normal by @prakashiyer. Not just for the corporate sector, but also applicable to education, research, and innovation. The story about Choluteca bridge is also fascinating!

NewsMeter team checked for the authenticity of this image to know the real story of this bridge.

Archived links of the claims can be found here and here.

Fact Check:

The image belongs to Choluteca bridge in Honduras, South America. The claim that it stands still even after major destruction by hurricane in the area is TRUE. But the claim that the bridge was built in 1996 is NOT TRUE.

An article by Prakash Iyer, 'The Bridge on the river Choluteca', published in BW Businessworld, was also shared by several users.

When we used Google Reverse image search and keywords 'Choluteca bridge', we found several articles proving that the bridge was constructed on the river of Choluteca in Honduras.

The Choluteca bridge is a suspension bridge located in Choluteca, Honduras. Originally constructed in 1930, the bridge was rebuilt in 1996. The Honduras government, knowing the bridge was likely to face extreme weather conditions, commissioned some of the best architectural minds in the world to reconstruct the bridge that could withstand any hurricane.

In 1998, Honduras was hit by Hurricane Mitch, a Category V storm, that devastated the Caribbean. Honduras was wrecked. Roads were wiped out. There was considerable damage to buildings and every other bridge in Honduras was destroyed. However, the Choluteca bridge stood its ground and survived in near perfect condition.

Even though the bridge stood its ground, there was one problem, the storm caused the river to carve a completely new path which no longer ran under the bridge, leading to the present conditions where the bridge is no longer useful.

Several articles have published this story of the bridge linking it to changes in life, career. Few articles said that, "We not only learn that nothing is permanent, we learn to live for the future."

The story of this bridge provides a fantastic metaphor to invest with adaptation and evolution in mind. The river has moved! The Coronavirus has suddenly challenged all our strategic plans and business models. There is a need to review and adapt them to the current conditions. With physical distancing, many businesses have been left without customers.

Here are a few images of the bridge before the destruction and after the destruction.

Therefore, the claim that it stands still even after major destruction by hurricane in the area is TRUE. The bridge that was built in 1930s stood undestroyed even after the major destruction of Hurricane Mitch in 1998.