Mexican footbridge collapses during inaugural walk by mayor
Highlights
- Video of the collapse suggested the boards separated from the chains supporting them
- The rush of officials and journalists on the bridge may have exceeded its capacity, the mayor said
- The mayor said a lot of people were jumping on the bridge which caused the collapse
Mexican footbridge collapse: In a tragic incident, a footbridge in Mexico city collapsed during its inaugural ceremony by the mayor. The incident occurred on Tuesday (local time), while the mayor of the Mexican city of Cuernavaca was proudly inaugurating it over a scenic stream. Soon after the incident, the mayor, along with two dozen other people plunged into a gully.
Video of the collapse suggested the boards separated from the chains supporting them.
The hanging bridge made of wooden boards and metal chains had recently been remodeled.
Local officials, including city council members, fell about 10 feet (3 meters) onto rocks and boulders in the streambed.
Commenting on the incident, Mayor José Luis Urióstegui later said some of the people accompanying him on the inaugural walk had been jumping on the bridge, perhaps in an attempt to make it sway.
“There were a lot of people jumping. That was reckless,” Urióstegui said.
The rush of officials and journalists on the bridge also may have exceeded its planned capacity, the mayor said.
“There were more of us than there should have been there,” he said.
Two officials, four city council members and a local reporter were injured and had to be extracted on stretchers from the gully and were taken to local hospitals, officials said.
The mayor too was taken to the hospital with mild injuries.
The footbridge was part of a river walk along one of the city’s many streams.
Cuernavaca, located just south of Mexico City, has long been a weekend getaway for capital residents due to its abundance of water and balmy climate.
(With inputs from AP)
Also Read | South Iran building collapse kills 5, injures several others
