Bridge goes missing in western Turkey

A 22-ton bridge disappeared from the Gölçük district of Kocaeli Province in Turkey earlier this month.

That's right: A steel structure weighing roughly 44,000 pounds and stretching 82 feet just up and left. No note. No forwarding address. No nothing.

Today's Zaman reports that local police believe the bridge was dismantled by thieves and sold for scrap. Authorities are investigating.

The bridge was regularly used by villagers who had to cross a creek to get to their orchards. Resident Mustafa Karakaş told Today’s Zaman, "Now we have to take our socks off and cross the creek."

Gizmodo points out that this isn't the first time a bridge has pulled a Jimmy Hoffa. In 2011, a 50-foot-long bridge in western Pennsylvania suffered a similar fate when thieves used blowtorches to dismantle it and sell off the parts. Two men were later arrested for the crime. And in 2008, a 38-foot steel bridge disappeared from eastern Russia.