Glass bridge shatters in wind, strands tourist
A tourist got an experience of a lifetime, after high winds shattered the deck of a glass bridge in northeast China — leaving him trapped and on the verge of deadly drop.
The man was on the 100-metre-high bridge in the Piyan Mountain, outside the city of Longjin, when a wind gale blew out several panels of the glass deck, reports The Straits Times.
In an image shared widely on the social media site Weibo, the man can be seen clinging to the rail of the bridge, surrounded by missing glass panels.
Authorities say the incident took place around 12:45 p.m. on Friday, when winds were gusting up to 150 km/h, according to The Straits Times.
The tourist held on for over 30 minutes before a team of firefighters, police and forestry and tourism personnel were able to assist him and he crawled back to safety.
No deaths were reported and the man was taken to the hospital unharmed, where he underwent counselling. He has since been discharged, according to CNN.
The nightmare scenario for many has spurred online discussion about the safety of glass bridges, which are popular tourist attractions in China, particularly in mountainous regions.
“Things I worried about have happened. (I will) never risk trying dangerous things in the future,” said one user on Weibo, reports CNN.
At least 60 glass-bottom bridges have been or were being built in the country in 2016, according to Earth magazine published by the Geological Museum of China.
One of the most famous of such bridges is in the city of Zhangjiajie, in Hunan province, which is 430 metres long and hangs 300 metres above the ground, between two steep cliffs. The bridge used to be the longest glass-bottom bridge in the world, before it was eclipsed by the 526-metre-long bridge in Qingyuan, Guangdong, China, which now holds a Guinness World Record for the achievement.
State-owned media in China reported that some local governments have already put safety guidelines in place to ensure tourists' safety.
In 2018, Hebei province — home to the 448 metre-long Hongyagu Glass Footbridge — put new technical standards in place for glass suspension bridges and walkways. The standards provide guidelines on materials, location, design and construction, including a stipulation that bridges must be closed during poor weather.
The Piyan Mountain resort has been closed pending an investigation, and the Longjing city government will carry out a safety inspection of all tourist attractions in the area, says The Straits Times.