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HOWTO: Steal A Bridge (Russian Style)

We thought it was weird enough when a bunch of thieves stole a beach in Hungary last month. But head a bit further east and the criminals in Russia are even more heavyweight: They steal bridges.

The deal is that a gang of thieves in Khabarovsk worked through the night to dismantle and take away the 38-foot-long car bridge. This netted them about 200 tons of scrap metal which police figure they're planning to sell. To thwart a repeat offense, they're going to replace the bridge with a concrete version.

But imagine the surprise of locals last week when they drove along the road and got to the spot where the bridge had been just the day before. It was en route to a power station and it's unlikely that any tourists got caught out by the inconvenience of the sudden lack of a bridge, but it's food for thought. Any scrap metal enthusiasts out there want to try dismantling the Golden Gate or the Sydney Harbour Bridge without anyone noticing?

Related Stories:
· Car Bridge Stolen in Russia's Far East [Novosti]
· HOWTO: Steal A Beach [Jaunted]
· Russia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Leonid V. Kroujkov]