Turkish residents baffled – 22-ton metal bridge stolen by thieves in middle of night

Residents in the Gölçük district of Kocaeli province in Turkey awoke on March 12, 2013 to find that their 22-ton metal bridge was gone – stolen by thieves in the middle of the night.  The bridge was nearly 100 feet long and weighed an estimated 22 tons.  Police believe the bridge was quickly split into segments and hauled away on trucks to sell for scrap metal, which at current market prices, would have netted the thieves about $11,000.  Villagers had used the bridge to access their orchards, which are located on the other side of the small tributary.