India, Oct. 5 -- Life has come to a standstill for residents ofBant village in Udhampur district after a key bridge connecting the area waswashed away in heavy rains, cutting off access to essential services and forcing locals to take desperate measures to cross a river.

Visuals from the area showed villagerscarrying an auto rickshaw on their shoulders to navigate the waterway, as there are now no means of transportationavailable. Locals said the bridge, which had stood for nearly a decade, was destroyed after incessant rains triggered flash flooding.

"After almost 10 years, this bridge was washed away due to heavy rains. We approached every department - even went to the DC and appealed to the MLA - but no one has listened to us," saidD...