Military engineers from the Zambia Defence Force (ZDF) have reopened the Great East Road, paving the way for passage to eastern Zambia, Malawi and northern Mozambique.

The road was partially washed away by torrential rain on Christmas Day, completely blocking access to Zambia's Eastern Province, the route that extends to Malawi, and northern Mozambique.

The Road Development Agency announced on Sunday that a detour has been created to open up traffic on either side.
Special forces soldiers from the Zambia National Service, a wing of the Zambia Defence Force, have created a diversion.

But that's not all; the forces, despite the continuous rain, have been putting up a permanent steel bridge at Kakumba Bridge in the Rufunsa district, where part of the 5-meter stretch was damaged.

An Acrow bridge, a versatile modular bridge for rapid access, has been installed and is now in use.

The affected area is about 78 kilometres from the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport traffic circle in the capital, Lusaka.

The semi-disaster had created panic among the Easterners and the sister neighbours of Malawi, who solely depend on supplies of goods and services from this landlocked country's capital.