In a horrifying incident, a new bridge built over a river in Mexico’s Cuernavaca city collapsed while it was being inaugurated, sending 20 people plunging down into a rocky stream below.
Footbridge collapse during reopening ceremony in Mexico pic.twitter.com/Kn4X554Ydk
— Adrian Slabbert (@adrian_slabbert) June 9, 2022
According to reports in the local media eight people were seriously injured with fractured bones and have been hospitalised. The city mayor and his wife were among those who fell when the bridge came crashing down.
The local city government said in a statement that four council members, two other officials and a local reporter were injured and had to be taken out on stretchers from the gully for admission to local hospitals.
According to The Guardian, the bridge was part of a river walk along one of the city's many streams. Cuernavaca has undergone explosive growth and has largely ignored or polluted many of its waterways. The river walk was intended to be part of a revival of the city's natural attractions.
Cuernavaca is located just south of the country’s capital, Mexico City, and attracts many visitors during the weekends.
