Hanging Bridge in Nueva Vizcaya Collapses, 43 Students and 7 Teachers Fall
43 students and 7 teachers fall while on their way to school when a hanging bridge collapses in Nueva Vizcaya.
According to the local police chief, PMaj. Glanery Cabeliza, the group from Abuyo National High School was heading to another sitio for their intramurals when the bridge collapsed.
It was overloaded as everyone crossed at the same time, causing it to snap under the weight. The accident happened between Sitio Melina and Sitio Diogan in Abuyo, Alfonso Castaneda.
Three individuals were rushed to a hospital in Nueva Ecija for further medical attention, while the rest were treated at a rural health unit. Thankfully, many of them were able to recover quickly.
“Bumigay yung hanging bridge kasi sabay-sabay silang dumaan, Gawa sa tali ang hanging bridge, naidala lahat sa RHU (rural health unit) ang ibang pasyente, ok na yung iba, tatlo ang naitakbo sa Cabanatuan for CT scan,” Cabeliza said.
The hanging bridge, made of ropes, spans 6-10 meters and crosses over water, sand, and rocks. The collapse happened when they were near the end of the bridge. Police suspect that the bridge, which was built in 2015, might have been weakened due to age and the heavy load of people crossing at once.
While crossing by boat was an option, there was no boat available at that time. Investigations revealed that students wearing shoes chose to cross the hanging bridge, while those in slippers used the nearby overflow bridge, which is 30 meters long compared to the hanging bridge’s 50 meters.
In a previous report, 15 students in Albay injured after bridge collapses
After being checked at the hospital, the students and teachers returned home. The site of the incident is about 30 to 45 minutes away from the town center of Alfonso Castaneda.
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